


Homeward Bound

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [29]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Family, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-03-11 01:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3310856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Steve, Danny and Grace find a blood-covered little boy in the woods, their lives get much more complicated.</p><p>(The inevitable kid fic, with extra helpings of trauma, angst and healing fluff.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: Yes, this is a time jump – I promise I'll still write the wedding and the whole bunch of other stuff that comes between "Out Sick" and this. But this little bunny won't leave me alone.
> 
> Note: In this reality, Charlie is actually Stan's kid (which means that, here at least, he's not blond. For pity's sake, casting people, did you not remember that Charlie's parentage was supposed to be a *surprise* to Danny?)

Grace stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the darkened rainforest before her as she decided on the most ecologically responsible and least uncomfortable place to take care of matters. She was quite happy being a girl, most of the time, but every once in awhile it would definitely be convenient to be a boy.

A rustling noise behind her stopped her survey, making her whip around and back up a few paces. She still remembered both that Aloha Girls camping trip from a few years ago _and_ getting kidnapped by the creepy guy, and she definitely didn't want a repeat of either experience. When the rustle happened again she backed up another step, ready to turn and run back to camp.

Then she heard a whimpering sound, low enough to the ground that it could be coming from an animal. Hesitating now, she decided to wait a few more seconds. It was too big to be a bird, bat or mongoose, but maybe someone's dog had gotten lost. She didn't like the thought of the poor thing wandering around out here all by—

The rest of the thought disappeared as a black-haired toddler stepped out from between the trees, wearing only a t-shirt and what looked like a diaper made out of material. He looked like Charlie had at this age when he was fighting naptime, his eyes all soft and foggy and his steps a little more stumbly, but instead of stubborn this little boy just looked sad and lost. Worse, there were dark red smears all over his bare, scratched-up legs. She'd been a cop's daughter long enough to know what that meant.

They both stood there a moment in the sudden silence, staring at each other. The forest had gone quiet, which meant that he didn't have a dad or mom stumbling through the woods right behind him.  She couldn't even imagine being out here alone.

Eyes stinging, Grace crouched down and held her arms out to the little boy. He must have been so scared, but he went right to her as if he'd been waiting for someone to hold him. When she stood up, she could see the tear tracks down his little cheeks.

"It's okay, Monkey," she whispered, letting him borrow the nickname she loved so much as she rocked him a little like she'd remembered seeing her mom do with Charlie. "We've got you now. You're safe."

He made the little whimpering noise again, leaning his head against her shoulder, and Grace suddenly became very angry at whoever had done this to him. Well, she knew exactly who could help with that.

Turning back toward the light of camp, she carried him back to her family.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny pulled the marshmallow back from the campfire, examining it in the firelight. It was just a shade darker than he personally liked, but this one wasn't for him anyway. Declaring it acceptable, he held that end of the stick out to Steve. "I swear, this is the one area where you're not a heathen."

Steve grinned, pulling the marshmallow off the stick and popping it in his mouth. He still had all kinds of ridiculous granola-and-unpronounceable-additives bars in his pack that he seemed to feel were actual food, but marshmallows were apparently one of the few areas where the man was willing to see sense. "Hey, I enjoy having Gracie make them for me, too."

"A marshmallow made by an adorable child always tastes delicious, whether or not she happens to be a Communist." He leaned in for a sweet, sticky kiss before settling back down and getting a new marshmallow ready. "I happily ate burnt Father's Day toast for years before she learned to finesse the toaster."

Steve got this soft, dopey look on his face instead of responding, and Danny knew he was thinking about their most recent Father's Day. They'd shared this one, with Grace bringing them both breakfast in bed and each of them getting gifts and their own work-of-art Father's Day card, and Steve had spent pretty much the entire morning looking like he'd been about five seconds away from crying. It had been beautiful.

Not able to help himself, he leaned over for another kiss. "If you think you're taking me someplace without an actual bed or air conditioning for our anniversary, however, you've got another thing coming."

"Oh, don't worry," Steve murmured against his mouth before diving in for another one. "I have a vested interest in making sure you're in the mood."

They broke apart when they heard footsteps, and Danny turned toward the sound and held out the stick and marshmallow he'd never gotten around to using. "Here you go, Monkey. I've got one all—" The rest of the sentence died in his throat as he got a good look at his daughter, at the little boy she was holding in her arms. She had this stubborn look on her face, the one that always meant she'd read or heard about some unfairness in the world and wanted to go stop it right then, and holy shit that was a lot of blood on the toddler's legs.

Danny was up without any conscious command from his brain, only a second or so behind his husband. Steve reached for his gun – after that Aloha girls fiasco, they'd decided that guns would now be as important a part of the camping experience as sleeping bags – while Danny reached for the kids. "What happened?"

"He found me." Grace sounded angry and worried as she passed the little boy over, shifting restlessly on the balls of her feet.  "He just walked right up to me, even though Uncle Steve said there's not another camping spot around here for _miles_."

The kid whimpered, and the sound cut straight through Danny's surprise to kick his fatherhood instincts into high gear. "It's okay, buddy," he murmured, tucking the toddler close as he gently lifted one of the boy's legs for closer inspection. They were scratched up, but there were no injuries anywhere near big enough to account for the sheer amount of dried blood.

He looked over at Steve, who was surveying the area as if some crazy gun-wielding criminal could burst out through the trees at any moment. Which, you know, they really could. Danny turned back to the little boy. "Do you know where your mommy and daddy are?"

The boy rubbed his eyes with his fist, and Danny couldn't tell whether he was about to fall asleep or burst into tears. "Mommy sleepy." His voice sounded scratchy, like he hadn't used it in awhile. "All wet."

Danny and Steve looked at each other, a whole, terrible conversation passing between them without even needing to say a word. Grace moved closer, laying her hand against the little boy's back. "Can I get the wet wipes?" she asked quietly. "Or do you need to take pictures or something for evidence?"

The little boy reached over to pet Grace's hair, still holding onto him in the closest thing to a death grip his small hands could manage, and Danny felt something crack open in his chest. "Good idea, Monkey." He had to work hard to keep the emotion out of his voice. "We need to clean this poor little guy up and get something in his tummy."

"Maybe one of the hot dog buns," Steve adds, coming in close as he snapped a picture on his phone. "If you tear it into smaller pieces, it's soft enough that his stomach and throat shouldn't have any trouble with it."

When she hurried into the tent to get everything they needed, Steve leaned in enough that their daughter wouldn't overhear. "He can't have walked far. I'll head in the direction Grace came from and check out the situation."

"Do you remember what happened the last time you went out into the forest with a crazed gunman? If I hadn't found you in time...."

"You did, though." Steve rested a hand against his back for just a moment, steady and strong. "And if there's one out there now, we'll both be more ready than we were last time. But if there's any chance the kid's mom is still alive...."

Danny nodded before he could finish the sentence, even though they both knew there probably wasn't. "Go." He pulled Steve down for a quick kiss, keeping his voice low as Grace emerged from the tent. "And don't even _think_ about getting shot or kidnapped or anything like that."

"I wouldn't dare." He smiled just a little, then focused on the toddler. "You'll be safe here," he said solemnly, as if making a promise. When the little boy just nodded, his face serious, Steve smoothed a hand over his hair before heading into the woods.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny watched him go as Grace headed over to join him. "He'll be okay," she whispered, then nodded firmly as she turned to her dad. "You and Uncle Steve will fix this."

Their little girl's faith in them both still staggered him. "As much as we can, sweetheart." Making sure his own gun was within easy reach, they both headed back to the tent.            

Ushering Grace inside the relative cover of the tent, Danny sat down just inside the tent flap and positioned the toddler on his lap. Grace handed him the hot dog bun before opening the wet wipes package and starting to work on the little boy's legs. The kid kept rubbing at the dry bits, as if trying to help.

Danny was pretty sure he wasn't strong enough to survive this.

Needing a distraction, he tore a bit off the hot dog bun and handed it to the little boy. "What's your name?"

The kid looked at the bread for a moment, as if he'd never seen it before, then took it and shoved it in his mouth. One hand still held onto his shirt in a death grip. "Ban-non."

Danny's brow furrowed as he dug up his toddler-with-his-mouth-full translation guide. "Brennan?"

The little boy shook his head, giving him a dirty look that would have made Danny's mother proud. Then the kid swallowed, his voice a little more clear when he spoke again. "Ban-don."

"Brandon." Danny smiled a little as the kid nodded. "Pleased to meet you. I just wish for your sake it was under better circumstances." He held out a second chunk of bread, which Brandon gratefully shoved down before reaching for a third. "Hey, slow down kiddo." He rubbed a hand up and down his back. "I don't know the last time you ate, which means you've got to pay attention to little things like chewing."

Grace straightened. "Does he need water? We've still got some extra bottles."

Danny nodded. "Yet another good idea from our resident genius." As she went to get it and Brandon went to work on another piece of bun, he took a moment to do a more thorough survey of the toddler. The cloth diaper wasn't exactly common, but they'd had a resurgence among some back-to-nature types. Brandon was pretty small, even for a toddler, and skinnier than he thought a kid should be at this age. Not enough that he'd necessarily call it malnutrition, but enough to be worried.  

Brandon swallowed, but instead of asking for more he just leaned his head against Danny's chest. "Safe now," he murmured, sleepiness making his voice thick.

Danny's chest clenched again. "Ah, kiddo," he murmured, wrapping an arm tighter around the little boy as he tore off another chunk of bread. When Brandon didn't reach for it, he nudged it towards the toddler's mouth anyway. "I'd love to let you get that nap, but you've gotta get a little more in that tummy of yours."

After a second Brandon opened his mouth, letting Danny put the bread inside it as Grace emerged from the tent. "I've got the water," she said, kneeling back down next to both of them as she held the bottle out to Danny.

"You do it, Monkey," he told her, watching the worry move across her face for a moment before it settled into determination. He gently shifted Brandon so he was sitting straight up again. "Want something to drink, little guy?"

At first he was excited for the water, reaching out for it like he did the bread. They slowly gave him several careful swallows, and when he let go of the bottle they stopped and put it away again. Brandon pet Gracie's hair again, his eyes only half open now, then he tipped back against Danny's chest and almost immediately fell asleep.

Danny rubbed a hand up and down Brandon's back, barely resisting the urge to bust out one of the old lullabies as Grace sat back on her heels. "He's not crying for his mom," she said after a moment, her big beautiful eyes full of questions as she looked at Danny. "And he hasn't even mentioned his dad."

"I know," Danny said quietly, pulling her close as well. Maybe the kid was just too exhausted to cry, and they'd face a sobbing fit as soon as Brandon got a few hours of sleep in him. But it was also possible that whatever misery he'd just been through hadn't seemed all that much worse than whatever had come before it.

Grace looked solemn. "I hope Uncle Steve comes back soon."

Danny sighed. "Me, too."


	4. Chapter 4

Steve didn't even need to pull out his highest-powered flashlight to follow the boy's trail. Even a toddler that small took up too much space to pass through the foliage unnoticed, and in this part of the forest there weren't many hikers to confuse things. Though Steve tensed at one point when the boy's path veered dangerously close to a particularly steep slope, the route mostly wove in between the trees. There were no sounds other than his footsteps and those that belonged in the forest, and eventually he holstered his gun.

That didn't stop him from worrying, though, particularly when the boy's trail stretched on further than it should have. He'd already gone a mile with no sign of a stopping point, and though he wasn't up on kids' physiology he was pretty sure that was the outside threshold for a fragile-looking toddler. More than once he went back and checked himself, wondering if he'd missed something in the foliage, but there was nothing but a clear trail heading further and further away from the road.

Steve stopped where he was for a moment, chest tightening as he imagined a toddler coming through here in rapidly fading light. It was one chance in a thousand that the boy had found them, maybe more.

He had to keep looking for the kid's mom. Even bleeding that heavily, there was still a chance.

Sending a quick text to Danny to let him know he was okay but hadn't found anything yet, he continued following the trail. He got a text back almost immediately that said everyone was fine, and Brandon – the name of their tiny guest, apparently – had fallen asleep. The "get back soon, damn it" at the end was as good as an endearment.

The warmth of that finally faded a half a mile further down the trail, when he came to a small clearing. There, two women had been left to lay where they'd fallen, their position making it clear that they'd been on their knees when they were shot. There was a single bullet hole in both their foreheads, and when he crouched down next to the woman who looked more like Brandon he could see the dried blood smeared on her neck. As if a little boy had knelt down in the wet grass, then tried to wake his mother up.

Something twisted hard in Steve's chest as he pushed himself to his feet, stepping back and using his phone and the flashlight to take pictures of the crime scene. One of the women was in her early 20s, the other around 40. They were both thinner than the boy had been, and dressed in worn clothing that looked like it came from a second-hand store. He carefully patted down their pockets, all of which were empty.

He scanned the clearing again, seeing a clear trail of trampled undergrowth heading in the opposite direction that Brandon had gone. Weirdly proud that the little boy had known enough to go the other way, he followed that trail until he came to a small jeep road. There were no obvious tire tracks – rain and mud were conveniently timed only in the movies – and he glared into the darkness for a moment before calling Duke and reporting the bodies.

Then he went back to his family.

Grace stood the moment he stepped into view, hurrying over to him and throwing her arms around his middle. Danny took longer to get to his feet, the expression on his face shifting from relief to professional mode as he shifted the weight of the sleeping child on his lap into his arms. "That bad, huh?" he asked quietly, hand cradling the back of Brandon's head as he spoke in an unconscious protective gesture.

 Grace let him go and took a step back, looking up at him expectantly, and Steve sighed. "Two women, both dead. I'm pretty sure one of them is Brandon's mom."

Danny gave his "bad news" nod, jaw tight like he was rolling with a punch, then looked down at Grace. "Hey, Monkey, how about you take Brandon back into the tent and both of you try to get some shuteye." She moved closer, and Danny shifted the little boy's weight into his daughter's arms before pressing a kiss against the top of her head. "Danno and Uncle Steve have to go to work."

"I know." She gave him a fierce, one-armed hug, then did the same to Steve. "Go find out who did this."

"We will, sweetheart," Steve promised, pressing his own kiss to the top of Grace's head. "Sorry the camping trip has to be cut short."

"This is more important," she said solemnly, then gave them both a look. "Stay safe, okay?"

"Always," Danny murmured, smoothing a hand over the back of Grace's head before she headed into the tent. Once the flap was zipped closed and she was out of earshot, Danny moved toward Steve. "From the look on your face when you came back, I'm guessing it wasn't a hiking accident," he said quietly.

Steve shook his head. "One shot to the forehead for both of them. Execution-style, but it didn't look professional. I lost the shooter's trail when it met up with a nearby jeep road." He hesitated, remembering how far he'd gone to get to the clearing. Thinking of the little boy who'd been curled up in his husband's arms, pushing his way through it all alone. "Brandon walked a mile and a half to get to us, Danny." He felt cold as he thought of everything that could have gone wrong. "If we hadn't been here...."

"Believe me, I know." Danny's voice was equally quiet as he squeezed Steve's arm. "I take it you're going back to the crime scene?"

Steve nodded. "Duke said he'd call when they got the chopper up here." He looked over at the tent. "Take Brandon home with you and Grace. We don't have a car seat, but if we buckle him in and Grace holds onto him we should be fine. We can get him to child protective services in the morning."

Danny shook his head. "Not a chance. I remember what happened the last time you ran around in the woods with a killer, and I need to be here to shoot them in the back in case you do something stupid." He sighed. "I'll stay here until the uniforms show up. I'll send them both back with Duke, then call Chin and Malia and ask if they can spend the night."

"We'll both stay until the uniforms show up." He pulled Danny into a hug, the chill inside him finally easing as the man he loved settled against him. "You looked good with him, you know," he murmured.

"Fatherly instincts are eternal." His voice was rough as he tightened his arms around Steve. "I don't get the impression the kid's had much of that."

Steve closed his eyes. He'd been pushed out alone in the world when he'd been 16, but at least he'd had a good life before then. They'd only barely started the case, but he was pretty sure Brandon's life made his look like a walk in the park. "I can imagine."


	5. Chapter 5

Malia, who was just getting off a shift at the hospital, said they'd be happy to take Grace and Brandon for the night. Danny's brain twitched a little at how easy it already was to say the names together, one rolling off his tongue right after the other like they both belonged there. There was something in Steve's face that made him wonder if he'd heard some of it in Danny's voice, but he didn't say anything.

The cavalry arrived soon after that, and Grace didn't protest as she hugged and kissed them both before heading down with Duke. She was still holding Brandon in a way that suggested she'd never actually put him down – and didn't plan on doing it any time soon, for that matter – and Danny realized that they'd both already bonded to the kid way the hell too fast.

It was easier to focus on the crime scene, especially Danny found out that Max was wearing what looked like a set of samurai battle armor made out of foam. "Fighting rubber ninjas?" Danny asked, gesturing to the outfit.

"I do not know what their costumes were made of, though due to the discomfort I doubt it was rubber." Their coroner used the same, serious tone he always did, his focus never leaving the bodies of the two women. "Perhaps Sabrina got a better look."

Danny was tempted to poke at it more – he needed the distraction – but the soft look that had briefly crossed Max's face at the mention of Sabrina's name stopped him. "Sorry for interrupting date night," he said instead.

"It is a natural side effect of our chosen professions, detective. I also saw Grace leave with Sergeant Lukela, which suggests that you and Commander McGarrett were also denied the opportunity to spend the evening with your loved ones." He finished examining the woman they were pretty sure was Brandon's mom before looking up at Danny. "I will need to do a more thorough examination on the bodies to be certain, but my initial assessment is that they were both shot between five and six hours ago."

"Before we got here," Danny murmured, comforted and heartsick at the same moment. He'd hated the thought that they'd missed something as obvious as gunshots, but that was a hell of a long time for Brandon to have been out here on his own.

Max nodded. "There appears to no ligature marks on either woman, and dirt on the bottom of their shoes as well as mild scratches on their ankles suggests that they walked here. At first glance, they both also seem to have suffered fairly significant malnutrition, and this one..." He gestured to the woman in front of him. "...has had her nose broken and improperly reset sometime in the past six months." He looked solemn. "I'll have more when I can do a more thorough examination."

Danny nodded his thanks, then headed over to where Steve had just finished talking to one of the uniformed officers. "Did we find anything?"

"They'd already been dead at least an hour by the time we drove up." Danny saw Steve's shoulders relax a fraction a second before his brow lowered, making it clear he'd had the exact same reaction to the news that Danny had. "Max also said they weren't tied up and they walked here on their own, but they weren't in great shape to start with." He tilted his head slightly, considering. "I'd think some psycho was cleaning out hostages, but it'd have been a lot easier to kill them wherever he'd stashed them and then deal with body disposal. Also, I don't see how Brandon would have made it out of that particular scenario. The nut would have either kept him because it was his kid, or...."

He hesitated, not wanting to finish the sentence, and Steve was kind enough not to make him. “There’s no sign that they ever tried to run,” he said instead, scanning the area one more time as if hoping to find something to prove himself wrong. “The trail from the road makes it look like they walked in single file, and the shooter just followed it back out. And the way the bodies fell….”

“….means they were probably on their knees when they were shot,” Danny finished, then scrubbed a hand across his mouth. “How the hell is Brandon still alive, Steve?”

Steve shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said quietly. “Maybe his mom hid him somewhere.”

“Where? You just said they came in straight from the road and didn’t try to run.” Danny let out a breath, feeling suddenly tired. “And yeah, I get that you were trying to be comforting. I’m still not that great at being on the receiving end.”

Steve’s lips curved upward for a moment. “You’re getting better.” Then he sighed. “The techs are finishing up their sweep of the scene, but there’s not much more either of us can do until the morning. Let’s pick up the kids and go home.”

Danny nodded, trying hard not to think about how right that sounded.

000

When they get to Chin and Malia's house, Grace has fallen asleep on the couch with one of the twins zonked out on each side of her. Brandon was in her arms again – still? – and wearing some of Noah's clothing.

"Just in case," said Chin, handing Danny a sealed plastic bag containing the t-shirt and diaper Brandon had been wearing. "Nothing you collect off it will hold up in court, but there might be something on it that can give you a lead."

"Thanks." Danny turned to his husband. "Do you want Grace, or Brandon and the evidence bag?"

Steve hesitated. "I can take Grace and the evidence bag."

"Please. I once juggled a six-year-old Grace, two nephews and a puppy." Shifting his grip on the bag, he leaned down next to his daughter.  Gently, he tried to slide Brandon out of her grip, making her arms instinctively tighten around him. Chest clenching tight, he tried a different approach. "Come on, Monkey," he whispered. "Time to go home."

Slowly, Grace opened her eyes. "Did you catch them yet?"

Danny shook his head. "We've got to get some sleep first. Let me carry Brandon, so Uncle Steve can carry you."

She looked confused for a second, clearly not fully awake yet. "I'm too big to be carried."

"We'll be able to carry you even when you're as old as we are," Steve said, moving closer. At the sound of his voice, Brandon shifted, opening his eyes to blink up at them with a sleepy smile.

"Hi, kiddo," Danny murmured, gently sliding the little boy out of Grace's grip. Once Danny had him back against his chest, he gave another small sigh and immediately seemed to drop back off again.

Chin, who'd picked up Ailani in order to start his own children's expedition up to bed, watched them both. "We can keep him here for the night, if you want," he said quietly, no special inflection in the offer. "It might be easier."

“No,” Grace murmured, not lifting her head from Steve’s shoulder. “He’s gonna sleep with me.”

Danny and Steve looked at each other, a whole conversation passing between them. “Actually, I think he’s gonna sleep with Uncle Steve and I, Monkey,” he said quietly. “He’s been sleeping enough that he’ll probably wake up in the middle of the night, and you’ve got school in the morning.”

That was enough to make Grace lift her head. “You have to be awake enough to catch whoever killed his mom.”

“I’ll get up with him,” Steve reassured her, not letting any of the worry that flickered across his face out into his voice. “SEALs are trained not to need much sleep.”

There they were, all trying to save each other from heartbreak by taking it on themselves. Problem was, this was just going to end with all three of them miserable when child protective services took him in the morning.

Danny tightened his arms around Brandon. At least they’d be going through it together.

Malia, coming in to pick up Noah, looked sympathetic. “We’ve got a car seat you can borrow.”


	6. Chapter 6

Brandon slept soundly all the way to the house. The moment they laid him down on the bed, however, the little boy opened his eyes as soon as Danny let go of him. He sat up, suddenly wide awake, and immediately reached out for Danny again. "No," he said loudly, voice wavering a little as he crawled over. "Don't go."

Danny swallowed, picking Brandon up again and wrapping him in his arms. The little boy burrowed his head in his shoulder, holding on tight, and Danny closed his eyes. "Shit, Steve," he breathed.

Steve's chest was tight enough it hurt. "Let's see if he'll let me take him for a little while," he said quietly, holding his arms out. "That way, at least one of us will get some sleep."

Danny pressed his lips against Brandon's hair. "You know as well as I do that's not the problem."

"I know." His voice was rough. "But it's the only thing I can do."

Danny met his gaze, then he gave a small nod and moved close enough to hand Brandon over. The kid resisted for a moment, still holding onto Danny, but when he felt Steve's hands come around him he stopped fighting. He reached for Steve, clinging tight to his shirt as soon as he'd been pulled close enough.

Danny, eyes raw, pressed a kiss against the little boy's hair. "'Night, little guy," he whispered.

"'Night," Brandon whispered back, lifting his head long enough to pat Danny's cheek. "Be back soon, kay?"

"Okay." Danny swallowed again, then pressed a kiss against Steve's cheek before making himself turn away.

Steve took Brandon downstairs, the little boy wrapped tight around him the whole time. When they stepped onto the lanai, Brandon lifted his head. "No trees." He pushed at Steve's shoulder. "Inside."

"No trees." He gave the little boy a solemn look. "But I think you might like the sound of the ocean."

Brandon considered this a moment, then nodded and put his head back down. Steve walked him out to the chairs placed on the shoreline, sitting down in Danny's because he needed the extra comfort. When he realized that Steve wasn't planning on letting go of him, Brandon squirmed around in his arms so he was facing forward. He settled back against Steve's chest, laying his arms over Steve's as if to keep them in place.

They sat together for a moment in the silence, listening to the waves, then Brandon looked up at him. "Don't go," he whispered, and Steve recognized every ounce of loneliness and desperation in the little boy's voice. No child should ever have to feel that, and his hands itched to go out and shoot anyone had everyone who'd caused even an ounce of Brandon's pain.

Except that they would be on that list, when they handed him over to Child Protective Services tomorrow. Even if they waited – if they begged, they could maybe squeeze out a few more days – there was no way they'd get approved as foster parents. Both of them worked, and their jobs were too dangerous.

He closed his eyes, his heart aching. "I don't think we're gonna get a choice, buddy."

Brandon made a whimpering noise, then turned back around and buried his face in Steve's neck. "Don't go. Please."

"We don't want to," he murmured, wrapping his arms tight around the little boy. His eyes were stinging.

Brandon just pressed his wet cheeks against Steve's shirt. They sat there like that for a long time, holding onto each other.

When Brandon finally fell back asleep, Steve carried him upstairs and pulled off his pants one-handed. Then, still holding onto him, they both got into the bed.

Danny opened his eyes, lifting an arm to wrap around them both. As if he could sense it, Brandon settled a little more, blindly reaching an arm back to grab onto his shirt.

"Maybe we could talk to someone," Danny whispered, letting out a shaky breath.

"I can make some calls," Steve whispered back. "But we're not approved as foster parents. Even if we get him back, it could take months."

"Or we could find out he has family somewhere else." Danny closed his eyes. "We don't really have any right to him."

Steve smoothed his hand over Brandon's hair, remembering the desperation in the little boy's voice. He knew what it was like to suddenly find a place that felt like home, and he couldn't imagine having it snatched away again. "I don't think Brandon would agree with that."

000

He knew it wouldn't work. But he still tried.

"...mother was one of two victims in a double homicide. We don't have any leads on the shooter yet, but it's possible that whoever it is could come after Brandon."

"CCS has their own protective custody procedures, Commander McGarrett." The woman's voice was hard. "If the case proceeds to the point where a threat is determined, we will take the necessary measures."

Steve fought for patience. "The threat might not be _determined_ until something terrible happens. If we kept him, we could—"

"Even if I felt I could trust you with a child, Commander McGarrett, you and Detective Williams—"

"Detective Williams is an _excellent_ parent," Steve cut in. "And Brandon's already bonded to him." Us. "He's calm as long as Detective Williams is holding him, but if he tries to put him down he—"

She raised her voice to talk over Steve, clearly ignoring everything he was saying. "—are not authorized foster parents. You may submit the paperwork to apply to become such, but the procedure takes several months and by then the child will already be placed." She kept raising her voice until she was practically shouting. "And even if he wasn't, given your professions and general disregard for rules and regulations, I cannot imagine either of you _ever_ being authorized to become foster parents!"

She hung up on him, and Steve fought the urge to throw his phone. He squeezed his eyes shut a moment, gut churning as he struggled to get his emotions under control. This wasn't the end. They'd have to let him go now, but there had to be other strings they could pull. He'd stolen Danny and managed to keep him. They'd gotten Danny equal custody of Grace. It might take some time, but they could do this.

And if he did have family, someone who could love him and take care of him like he deserved.... Then they'd make sure Brandon got to them, and they'd deal with their broken hearts later.

But there was no way in hell they were going to leave Brandon with that woman any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Then he walked back into the kitchen to watch his family. Danny sitting at the table next to Grace, Brandon in his lap, and Grace was making airplane noises as she fed him alternating spoonfuls of cereal. When Grace took a spoonful for herself, Brandon made airplane noises for her. Danny just watched them both, all the love in the world in his eyes.

Steve's chest hurt.

It didn't take long before Danny turned to look at him, the way his expression shut down for a moment making it clear that he'd read everything that happened in Steve's own face. A second later Grace looked over as well, her expression crumbling for a moment before she put on a brave face. Brandon, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them, just looked worried.

Steve cleared his throat, his eyes stinging. "Hey, we'll come up with something." He tried to keep his voice reassuring as he walked over and sat down next to Danny. "It might take a while, but we'll either get him back or make sure he gets to family members who love him."

Grace pet Brandon's hair, still looking miserable. "We'll love him better than anybody."

Danny took a deep breath. "But he might have family members who loved him first, Monkey." He pressed a kiss against Brandon's hair. "How long?"

Steve sighed. "They'll meet us at work."

Danny nodded. "Then we have a little bit longer." He moved Brandon over to Steve's lap. "If you'll finish breakfast with this guy, I'll make your tea," he said, pressing a kiss against his husband's hair.

Steve was briefly tempted to protest – he didn't want to take even a second away from Danny – but he knew what he was being offered. Taking a deep breath, he focused his attention on breakfast and tried to pretend they would never have to leave.


	7. Chapter 7

Letting Brandon go was hell.

It started the moment they left the house, but it was worse as they dropped Grace off at school. She was crying, kissing and hugging Brandon as if she wanted to give him enough love to save up for later, and Danny was about a half second from bawling himself. Brandon knew that something was wrong, his worried face back as he kept patting Grace's hair and telling her not to cry.

The woman from Child Protective Services was waiting for them in the parking lot when they got to HQ, heading over to the car before they'd even got the doors open. Karen had the back door open before Danny had even fully gotten out of the car, when she reached to unbuckle Brandon he immediately started trying to crawl away from her. "Hey, you need to—"

"You need to calm down," Steve finished, hand on the woman's arm. "You're scaring him."

Karen threw his arm off. "Don't tell me what to do, Commander. Despite the havoc you two wreak on this city, you have no authority over CPS."

His expression hardened. "Fine. Then prove to me you're really CPS."

Her eyes narrowed at that, but after a second she reached into her pocket and flashed him her badge. Then she bent back down and started unbuckling Brandon, who was still struggling. Even though he wasn't looking, Danny could tell the moment she actually lifted him out of the seat because that's when the "No no no no no" started.

Danny pressed his hands hard against the top of the car, every cell in his body telling him to vault over the top of the car and yank Brandon away from her. Steve, who was close enough to actually do that, was clearly fighting a similar battle. "Ms. Luden, this isn't helping anything." His hands half lifted, reaching for Brandon. "Let me call the Governor, and we can just—"

Brandon, seeing how close Steve was, tried to throw himself out of the woman's arms in an attempt to get to Steve. Seeing this, the woman yanked him back, and when Steve's gaze jerked back to the woman Danny saw a flash of barely restrained killing urge flash across his face.

Karen had the good sense to look worried for a second, but when she saw that Brandon was still reaching her face shut down again. " _We_ do not operate by favors, Commander McGarrett. We'll have the crime lab inform you when we've sent the DNA over for testing." Then she turned and headed for her car.

The second she took that first step away Brandon's "no"s turned into actual shouting. "Don't go! Don't go! Don't go!" He was leaning over her shoulder as far as he could go, hands reaching out for them. "Don't go! Please!"

Danny squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He couldn't even make himself open his eyes after he heard the car drive away, and a moment later he felt Steve's hand on his back. "We'll get him back, Danno," he murmured, voice rough. "We'll think of something."

All Danny could do was turn around, let Steve wrap his arms around him, and let himself cry.

000

When they made it inside, Chin took one look at Danny's face and wrapped him in a hug.  Next to him, Kono moved to hug Steve.

Danny let himself hold on for a moment before stepping back and trying to collect himself. Before he could, Lou was there with his arms out. "Oh no you don't," he said gently. "Chin filled us in, and I promise you we'll figure out a way to get the kid back and catch the asshole that killed his mom. Right now, though, we're all just gonna hug it out for a little bit."

Throat tight, Danny stepped into the hug while Chin moved to hug Steve. They did the entire round of hugging, just like Lou said, and by the time everyone was done the sick knot in Danny's gut had eased just a little bit.

Steve was wiping his eyes, looking like he was trying hard to go into SuperSeal mode and not quite making it. "Okay." His voice was scratchy, and he had to clear his throat before it sounded anything close to steady again. Danny, his own breathing still shaky, moved closer to rest a supporting hand against his back. He could feel the muscles underneath his hand relax, just a little, while Steve continued. "Did we get anything from our victims?"

Expression solemn, Chin led them all over to the computer table and pulled up two images. "This is Lisa Ramirez," he said, pointing to the picture of the woman who they were pretty sure was Brandon's mom. It was, Danny realized, attached to a decently-sized arrest record that stretched halfway across the country. "Twenty-three years old, been on her own since she was 15 and ran away from a foster home in Fort Worth." He turned to Danny. "Is this the one?"

Danny nodded, knowing what Chin was asking. "They..." He swallowed, throat raw. "They know they need to do DNA on him. I—" He stopped, remembering the bag Chin had given them the night before. "Shit. It's still in the car." The one that still had Brandon's car seat in it. His stomach twisted again. "I need to—"

"I'll get it," Kono volunteered immediately, holding out her hand for the keys. Steve tossed them to her without a word, tightening his arm around Danny's shoulders.

Danny let out a breath. "Thank you."

She just smiled at him as she headed out the door. When she was gone, everyone turned back to the computer table. "Any chance they were accomplices?" Lou asked. "One criminal turning on their partners?"

"You'd think that, but then there's Nora," Chin said, bringing the other photo to the front. This one was attached to a missing person's report, apparently filled out by her co-workers in the Carson City School District in Nevada. "Meet Nora Quigley, a 42-year-old high school English teacher. Never married, no children, and a nearly squeaky-clean record. The last time she got a traffic ticket was in 1999."

Danny's eyes narrowed. "That missing person's report is almost two years old. Has she popped up anywhere since then?"

"Only once." Chin pulled up a convenience store security video. The footage wasn't great, but it was just possible to make out both Nora and Lisa standing together next to the freezers. Brandon was in her arms, and it was enough of a pang that it took Danny a second to notice that the two other women in the row just behind them were clearly part of the same group.

Also clearly part of the group was a man with stringy brown hair, a wispy beard, and wearing a leather jacket that looked like it was about a size too big for his scrawny shoulders. Still, his swagger made it clear he thought he was hot shit, and as the video progressed all four women took turns pressing themselves against him.

"San Diego PD had the video as part of the Nora Quigley case. They weren't able to identify any of the other women, but the Fort Worth PD identified both Lisa and this man." He pulled up another photo. "Donald Summers. He and Lisa were both suspects in a string of robberies in the Fort Worth area in 2013, and before that his trail goes all the way back to New York."

 Lou pulled up the arrest record, which was considerably longer than Lisa's had been. "Robbery, forgery, arson, burglary, check forging, you name it. No murder, though."

"Not that anyone has on record." Steve's voice was hard. "Find him. He's the best suspect we've got."

Danny looked over at him, stomach cold. "If Brandon wasn't his, there's no way a guy like that would have tolerated having a kid around that long." And anyone who dragged a little harem across the country like that clearly had issues with letting things go. If he changed his mind about leaving Brandon....

"I know." He headed for the door, knowing Danny would follow. "We need to talk to Denning."  


	8. Chapter 8

By mutual, silent decision, Steve took the lead as they explained the situation to Governor Denning. He tried to pretend it was nothing more than a debriefing – they had to make protecting Brandon seem like a professional necessity, not a personal mission – but not even he could keep the anger out of his voice when he talked about Brandon being ripped out of their arms.

"He was traumatized," Danny cut in, trying to hold back the pain in his voice. "He violently lost his mother, then was physically ripped away from the next people he bonded to. We didn't even get the chance to try and explain anything to him."

"Also, we believe that the man who is our best suspect for the murders is Brandon's biological father." Steve pulled up the man's arrest record on his phone, showing it to Denning. "We don't know why he left Brandon alive, but there's a pattern of behavior that suggests he could easily change his mind and try to come back for him."

Denning didn't say anything for a moment, his expression grim as he looked back and forth between them. "While I see nothing to suggest that CPS's protective measures won't be enough to handle the potential return of the suspect, I agree that the caseworker's behavior was unacceptable. They're there to protect children, emotionally as well as physically, and in Ms. Luden's case that's clearly not happening." Then his expression softened. "I can promise you that Brandon's treatment will improve dramatically, but if they correct the situation I have no authority to take this out of the CPS's hands." The words were gentle, the sympathetic looks meant for Steve and Danny equally. "We have policies in place for a reason."

Steve had known that would be the case – it wasn't the governor's fault that the last few years had taught him how to hope. "We know." He shifted slightly closer to Danny, boxing up his own pain. Brandon and Danny were the priorities right now. "We just want to make sure he's okay."

"I understand that completely." His expression hardened again as he got the director of CPS on the phone, his tone making it clear that he was ready to clean house if need be. It didn't take long, however, for the anger to recede somewhat – though Steve could only hear the governor's half of the conversation, it was pretty clear that the director was as horrified by Ms. Luden's behavior as the rest of them were. After a few more exchanges, Denning looked at them both before shifting the call to speakerphone.

"...so sorry. We've had complaints from the other caseworkers that she's brusque with people, but never anything this bad." There was the sound of papers shifting on the other end of the phone, then a sudden silence. "That's odd." The shifting paper was replaced by typing, and when the director spoke again her tone was concerned rather than apologetic. "It looks like she didn't bring the little boy into the office after picking him up from 5-0. She took him straight to a foster family, then came back and filled in a report. The family she lists is excellent, but that's definitely against procedure...." Her voice grew more distant as if she'd turned her mouth away from the phone. "Tim, get the Kapules on the phone for me, and tell Akoni to make sure Karen Luden doesn't leave the building."

Steve tensed, and he could feel Danny doing the same next to him as they turned to look at each other. Summers clearly had a talent for getting women to follow him – it was no stretch of the imagination for him to have talked a CPS caseworker into making sure he got his kid back. While they were standing here doing nothing, Brandon could already be in danger....

With a nod at Denning, they turned and headed out the door. As they headed for the stairs, Danny pulled out his phone before Steve could. "Chin, we need everything you've got on Karen Luden. She's a caseworker with CPS, so pull her picture from their files if you need to run facial recognition." A pause. "She didn't bring him in to the CPS office. We don't have confirmation yet that she dropped him off at the foster family like she said she did, but even if she did that means she conveniently skipped getting DNA from Brandon. So either she really us just this shitty at her job, or...." Another pause. "Yeah, I know."

He hung up the phone, talking as they hurried. "Chin said he'd look into it. As much as I hate the woman, though, she doesn't exactly seem like one of Summers' recruits. I doubt he likes letting them out of sight long enough to have a career."

"Is it any better if he paid her? Either way, we—" Steve cut himself off when he felt his phone buzz, pulling it out to see Denning's name on the caller ID. "It's the governor." He answered the call, feeling a twinge of something at the back of his skull he normally only felt in the middle of a firefight. There was a small chance he was calling to keep them from doing something stupid, but.... "McGarrett."

"Brandon's missing," Denning said immediately. "According to Director Nguyen, Luden did bring him to the foster family's house like she said she did. Evalani Kapule said that he seemed fine, but very quiet, and insisted on being put down any time she tried to pick him up. She left him in the living room with a box of toys while she went to give her other foster kid a bath, but when the director called and she went to check on him he was gone."

Steve's insides went cold. "Was there any sign of a break in?"

"No." Now he sounded grim. "But the back door was unlocked."

"Shit." He stayed on the phone only long enough for Denning to give him the address of the foster family, then turned to Danny. "He said Brandon's—"

"I gathered." Danny snapped, cutting him off. He threw himself into the passenger seat, every line of his body making it clear he was putting all his effort into keeping it together. "As long as you don't get us arrested, feel free to break as many speeding laws as you want."


	9. Chapter 9

Danny tried to tell himself he got like this whenever the case involved a kid, his father instincts reaching out to cover every child in need, but he knew that wasn’t true. He kept getting flashbacks to Grace’s kidnapping, the awful twisting in his gut that made it feel like the world could end at any second, and he knew that if that asshole Summers really had taken Brandon then Danny would do whatever he had to in order to get him back.

There were already squad cars in front of the foster home by the time he and Steve got there, and as they got out of the car Danny could see that uniformed officers had already started a canvas of the neighborhood. Ms. Kapule was in the front yard talking to one of the officers, a small child in her arms and tears streaming down her face, and Danny forced back some of the anger that had been building. She’d screwed up by leaving Brandon alone downstairs, yes, but unless she was a world-class actress it looked like an honest mistake. Especially since he was damn sure Luden didn’t warn her that someone might be after Brandon.

Now _she_ was someone he was still more than willing to be furious at.  He wondered if 5-0 immunity covered punching a fellow government employee in the face – even if he couldn’t do it, he knew Kono would be more than willing to do it for him.

Shaking off the thought, he turned to look at Steve.  He was wearing a darker version of his “SuperSEAL” expression, the one Danny privately thought of as “kill mode,” which meant that his ability to interact with average citizenry was lower than usual. Neither of them dealt with being helpless very well.

He caught Steve’s arm, holding them in place for a second. “The uniforms look like they’re handling the basics, and there’s a pretty good chance one of us will end up punching somebody if they say something the slightest bit stupid. If you try your SEAL tracking thing, though, we might actually be able to do something useful.”

Steve didn’t move for a moment, expression a million miles away. If this went bad – Danny’s insides rebelled at the thought – then it would probably be a race to see which of them cracked first. Finally, though, he nodded and headed for the backyard.

Danny followed, flashing his badge at the uniformed officer that looked like he was moving to intercept them.

When he got there, Steve was crouched down next to the flower beds that lined the back of the house. “Someone went through here.” The dirt was too dry to take a really good footprint, but there was a trampled geranium and a scattering of dirt on the fence’s bottom crossbar. Above it was a gap between the posts, not nearly big enough for an adult to have made it through. “Could be a dog.”

Danny crouched down, catching the trampled dirt in the flower bed on the other side of the fence. He wasn’t great at hoping, true, but now instead of kidnapping flashbacks he found himself thinking of that winding trail Brandon had taken through the woods. If there was even the smallest chance, they couldn’t pass it up. “Could be Brandon.”   

They headed into the other yard, then out into the road. Danny checked with the neighbors, seeing if anyone had seen anything – the uniforms hadn’t hit this street, yet – while Steve communed with the suburban approximation of nature.

All of it, though, failed to turn up anything useful. Danny finished the last house, heading down the stairs in time to see Steve straighten with a frustrated expression on his face.

Ignoring the way his stomach was twisting, Danny headed towards his husband. “Nothing?”

Steve shook his head. “Twenty different things, but nothing that I’m absolutely certain is Brandon.” He looked bleak for a second, a crack in the emotional armor he knew he didn’t have to put on around Danny. Then he scrubbed his hands across his face. “We should get back, get an update on the case. If it was Summers, every second means he’s that much further away.”

Danny swallowed, scanning the street for any signs of something they’d missed. Even if Brandon had left on his own, the kid could cover a decent amount of distance. He could be anywhere by now, which meant that the Maile Amber Alert was still going to be their best shot at finding him.

But… Brandon had already shown he was pretty damn good at finding _them_.

It wasn’t going to work, he _knew_ it wasn’t going to work, but if he didn’t try just this one thing he’d never forgive himself. “Just…” He shook his head. “…if anyone asks about this, I’d really appreciate it if you could just glare them to death so I don’t have to respond.” Then he jogged to the middle of the street and put his hands up around his mouth. “Brandon! Come on out, buddy! Time to go home!”

There was, of course, no response except for the sounds of the police work filtering in from the other street. Danny stood there for a moment, breathing through the pain, then turned around to head back to Steve.

“Don’t go!”

Danny’s head jerked back around at the young, heartbreakingly familiar voice. Brandon was running from one of the backyards towards him at top toddler speed, covered in dirt and arms outstretched like he was afraid they were going to get away. Heart in his throat, Danny covered the rest of the distance between them in a second and scooped the little boy up into his arms. Steve was there almost as fast, clearly having started running from the second he’d heard Brandon’s voice. 

Brandon, tears streaming down his face, flung one arm around Danny's neck and stretched the other out in Steve's direction, making grabby hands. The second he got close enough, Brandon grabbed a fistful of Steve's shirt and tugged the other man as close as he could. "Mine," he said fiercely, looking back and forth between them with huge, pleading eyes. He kept a death grip on both Steve's shirt and Danny's neck, holding on so hard his little knuckles were almost white. "Don't go. Mine."

Danny didn't trust himself to speak, so he just pressed a kiss against Brandon's hair and held on as hard as he could. Steve's eyes had already filled, and he laid his own kiss against the kid's hair. "We'll think of something," he murmured, meeting Brandon's eyes before looking up at Danny. "Even if it's just for tonight. We can't—"

"You found him!"

At the sound of the woman's voice, Danny couldn't stop himself from tightening his hold on Brandon. He looked up to see a woman in a business suit hurry over, an immensely relieved expression on her face. "I'm Anna Nguyen, director of Child Protective Services, and you must be Detectives McGarrett and Williams." As she spoke, she reached over to take Brandon out of their arms. "I apologize profusely for all of this, and I can assure you—"

The moment the director's hands got anywhere near him, Brandon flat-out screamed. "No! No no no no no!" He kicked a foot out at the woman, making her flinch back with wide eyes, and pressed himself even harder against Danny. He pulled Steve even closer, like he was a shield. "Not you. You go. I stay. Mine stay."

The director stared at Brandon, looking back and forth between Steve and Danny before returning her attention back to the kid. "You left the foster home to find these two men?" she asked incredulously.

Brandon nodded. "Mine." He tucked his head against Danny's neck, still holding on to Steve. "Safe."

Danny's eyes stung. "Let him stay with us," he pleaded, voice rough. "I know we're not official foster parents, but the government's got all our background checks and we'll jump through whatever hoops—"

The director held up a hand, cutting him off. "We'll work out the details later.  It doesn't happen often, but there are precedents for authorizing temporary foster parents in emergency situations." She paused, anger flashing in her eyes. "And I will be having _words_ with Karen Luden. If Brandon went through this much to try and find you again, then taking him from you in the first place clearly did nothing more than increase his trauma." She met Brandon's gaze again. "Brandon stay," she said solemnly.

Brandon just looked at her a moment, like it took him a while to believe she was serious. Then he beamed, giving her a firm nod. "Brandon stay."

"Thank you," Steve managed, his eyes still wet.

The director shook her head. "No need. Clearly, you and Detective Williams are what this child needs right now."

Danny's chest was so full he felt shaky. "You were looking for us," he whispered, awed. He wouldn't have believed it was possible – crap like this only happened in movies – but the way he'd come to them in the first place was just as unbelievable. Hell, the way he and Steve had found each other was pretty ludicrous.

When it was meant to be, it was meant to be.

Brandon tucked his head back against Danny's neck, and Danny brushed his cheek against the boy's. "Our little tracker."


	10. Chapter 10

They still had the car seat in the back, and Brandon was content the whole time he was being buckled in. Steve watched, arms folded across his chest and a wonderful, terrifying warmth in his chest. He was still new enough at all of this – at having a family that was officially _his_ , that wanted to _stay_ with him – that there was more than a little awe in there as well. 

His head, though, was busy planning. They’d gotten over the first hurdle to keeping Brandon, but there were still plenty of steps between temporary and permanent guardianship. Director Nguyen seemed to be on their side, at least for the moment, but Steve knew he’d have to be on his best behavior. He’d let Danny do most of the talking if that ended up being needed – there was no better father, anywhere – but maybe Joe knew someone who could pull some strings….

His attention was caught when Danny pulled his hand away, straightening to move around to the passenger’s seat. Brandon’s expression immediately went panicked, leaning over to reach for him.  “No,” the boy insisted, wrapping both hands around Danny’s wrist. “Don’t go.”

Danny went still. “I’m not going very far, buddy,” he tried, pointing towards the front seat with his free hand. “Steve and I will be just right there.”

Brandon looked at the front seat, then over at Danny. His eyes filled. “Too far.”

Danny gave Brandon a fond look. “Man, it is probably really bad that you’re already so good at those puppy dog eyes.”

Steve smiled a little, already sure of what was going to happen. “It’s okay if you want to ride in the back with him now.” He opened the driver’s side door. “He was okay with not being touched all the time this morning. Once he starts trusting that no one will come along and steal him away again, he’ll be able to relax.”

“You’re probably right. If I were him, I’d be just as freaked.” Still, Danny stopped Steve with his free hand on his arm. “I’ve been kind of playing octopus since we got him back, though.” He looked back down at Brandon. “Can Steve sit back here with you instead?”

Brandon considered this with a serious expression, then let go of Danny with one hand to reach eagerly for Steve. Steve's chest squeezed tight as he reached his own hand out, but Danny stopped him again. “Go in through the other door.” He gestured around the car. “That way, you don’t have to decide between letting him go again to get in the car or hanging on to the door like a ninja.”

Steve hurried to climb into the back seat, and once he opened the door Brandon let go of Danny completely and flung his upper body toward Steve. Steve leaned in as well, laying an arm over Brandon, and the little boy immediately wrapped both arms around it like it was a teddy bear. “Mine,” he said happily, leaning his cheek against Steve’s arm.  

Steve absolutely melted. "Yeah," he murmured, voice rough. "Yours."

"My boys." Danny beamed at them both from the open car door, eyes soft and full of love. He let himself look for another minute before shutting the door and sliding in to the driver's seat. "Not that you probably wouldn't have been just fine hanging on to the outside of the car, but we don't want to give Tracker here any ideas." He met Steve's eyes through the rear-view mirror. "Kid clearly already has your adventurous spirit, but I think it's better for everyone if we give him my sense of self-preservation."

As their gazes locked, Steve flashed back to a similar look, years before, when he'd been hiding in Danny's backseat so the police wouldn't find him. Back then, he never could have imagined the gift his life would become.

"Hey, my sense of self-preservation is a lot better than it used to be," Steve said softly, smiling at the man who held his heart.

Steve couldn't see Danny's face as he pulled the car out onto the street, but he could hear the answering smile in his voice. "This is true."

000

Danny used the car phone to call ahead and let the rest of the team know what had happened, and the resulting cheering and round of "welcome to the team" was loud enough that it made Brandon blink in confused surprise. When the three of them got back to HQ, though, the rest of the team was careful not to crowd their newest arrival.

"Hi there, little guy," Lou said, raising his hand for a high five.

Brandon flinched back, throwing an arm in front of Steve as if trying to protect him, and Steve saw red for a second as he realized what that must mean about Summers. Lou jerked his hand back, clearly horrified that he'd scared the kid, but Danny gestured for him to raise it again.  Then he gently wrapped a hand around Brandon's wrist and moved the little boy's hand to gently hit against Lou's. "That's a high-five," he told the boy, then pointed at Lou. "Yours." Then he pointed at Chin and Kono, gaze still locked with Brandon's. "Also yours. All safe. No one here is _ever_ going to hurt you or try and take you away from us."

Brandon, still clearly unsure, looked back and forth between Steve and Danny before taking a careful look at the rest of the team. "Mine?" he asked cautiously, focusing on Kono. "Safe?"

Lou nodded. "Safe. Though we're clearly gonna have to give that dad of yours a whole _hell_ of a lot of trouble when we see him."

"Because we're yours," Kono said firmly, taking Brandon's hand and giving it a small shake. "Aloha, keiki."

Chin did the same. "Welcome to the family."

Brandon looking back and forth between the three of them, expression slowly growing more pleased. "Mine." He nodded. "Safe."

Kono nodded. "Exactly." Then her expression sobered. "Unfortunately, there are other family members of Brandon's who aren't so safe." Chin moved back to the computer table, pulling up Karen Luden's file onscreen.

At the sight of her picture, Brandon made a face. "Bad." He buried his face against Steve's neck. "Bad lady."

"Maybe," Chin said, sounding grim. "We dug into Karen's life like you asked. On the surface, there's nothing wrong with her – not even a traffic ticket for speeding, and any complaints at work are about her personality rather than her performance."

As Chin swiped to another screen, Lou gestured towards the picture of a much younger version of Karen. "Dig a little deeper, though, and it turns out she's actually a foster kid who bounced her way through the Michigan system before it spit her out at 18. That was when she changed her name to Luden." He looked back at the rest of the team. "Wanna guess what it was before that?"

"Karen Summers," Danny said for both of them, then swore. "She's related to the nutball, and we let her walk off with him."

"We didn't know," Steve said. "But it can't be coincidence that she made sure she was the one to oversee her potential nephew's case."

"And conveniently got him out of police hands as quickly as possible," Danny finished, voice dark. He moved close enough to Brandon to ruffle a hand through his hair, deliberately shifting his tone back to something more comforting. "Which means by getting him back, we've just thwarted whatever she was planning."

"She might not have had a plan," Chin said. "She did take him to an authorized foster family, not straight to Summers."

"A foster family with terrible security," Kono argued, sounding as angry as Danny had. "Summers could have easily taken Brandon from the house, and Karen's hands would still be clean."

Steve tightened his arms around Brandon. "Whatever her reasoning is, we need to talk to her."


	11. Chapter 11

In the end, they did more than talk to Karen. A quick check of her cell phone records identified three calls from an unidentified burner phone, one in and two out. The first happened the week before, the only call in, but the first call out happened only a few minutes after Steve would have gotten off the phone with her that morning. The final call was sent out not to long after she would have dropped Brandon off at the Kapules.

On top of that, Fong discovered that both of the women had intercourse with the same man less of an hour before they died. The Las Vegas PD had Summers' DNA on file, and it pinged as a match only a few minutes before. It only solidified Summers as their prime suspect, and made Summers' sister a person of interest.

It wasn't enough for an arrest, but according to special 5-0 rules it was enough to bring her in for questioning.

"You have nothing on me," Karen snapped, glaring at Danny like she wanted to set his head on fire. Steve had wanted to be down here, too, but someone had to stay up with Brandon and Danny was better in the interrogation room. Kono was there, too, on the off chance the opportunity to hit the woman came up.

Danny would _really_ appreciate seeing that happen.

For now, though, he gave her his best "you picked the wrong alley to walk into" smile. "Pro tip – innocent people don't say 'You've got nothing on me.' Generally they go with 'What am I doing here?' or 'What are you talking about?' You might even try a 'How dare you?' But 'You've got nothing on me' is a big no-no, since it implies that you know _exactly_ what crime you're being brought in for. Which, since I haven't said a word about it, is rather suspicious to my law-enforcement ears."

Karen hesitated, mouth opening and closing for a few seconds before she found her next angle. "There wasn't even a crime committed! I put the boy with a registered foster family, which is my _job_." 

"Without getting the DNA sample you were required by the law, and that same job, to collect," Danny responded, voice artificially easy. "Makes sense, though – didn't want your _nephew_ entered into the system."

When Karen went pale, Danny waited a beat to let it sink in. Then he moved closer, folding his arms across his chest. "Let me see if I can fill in the gaps. Your criminal asshole of a brother calls you occasionally, mostly just to borrow money and/or make your life a living hell. Still, you always pick up the phone, because what can you do? He's the only family you've got."

She shook her head, more desperate now than angry. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, we think you do." Kono pressed, fire in her eyes. She wasn't called on to do it as often, but she was just as good at looking threatening as Chin and Steve were. "We already checked your records, Karen. Lying only makes you look more guilty."

"The big question is, just how much are you guilty of?" Danny's voice was hard. "Were you just doing a favor for your brother, keeping Brandon's DNA out of the system so it didn't ping his, or was it something more serious?"

"There's a lot less security at a nice little suburban home than a government building," Kono said. "Perfect place to steal his kid back. He just needed you to bring him there."

"Or maybe he wasn't planning on stealing him." Danny moved closer, his anger a fire licking in his chest. His brain, primed for worst-case scenarios, had already come up with all the many ways this could have gone wrong. "Donald had just offed two of his women – maybe he just saw the kid as a loose end he needed to clean up. If that's the case, then you're an accessory to attempted murder." He shook his head, making a tsking noise. "There's some serious jail time with that one."

She went pale again, as if that particular scenario hadn't occurred to her, then shook her head. "I didn't do anything. You have no proof."

Danny shrugged. "We'll just keep you here until we find it."

Karen's jaw hardened. "Like I said, you won't find it."

Not helpful – they could break her down eventually, but that would be messy and they didn't have quite enough evidence yet to hold her overnight.  If the idea that she could have been an accomplice to homicide didn't piss her off enough to talk, maybe something else would.

“Ah, I see.” Danny smirked at her, his earlier threat transformed into derision. “You’re just another one of his girls, aren’t you? Not sleeping with him, at least, but still loyal to the end.” He shook his head, turning to Kono. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Karen turning redder with every word. “I hate working with flunkies. They’re never chosen for their brain—“

Danny could almost hear Karen snap. “’Flunkie!?!” she shouted, her face just about the same shade as an excellent tomato sauce. “That _asshole_ has been a weight around my neck since the moment I was born! I would have been adopted twice if it hadn’t been for the fact that we shared the same blood! _Twice_!”

Danny wasn’t sure how much he believed that, given Karen’s clearly _sparkling_ personality, but didn’t comment on it. She was clearly on a roll, and he wasn’t about to interrupt her.

“I have no idea what those idiot whores of his see in him. He thinks he’s a god now, did you know? Calls himself Loah or something else stupid like that.” She sneered, caught up in some memory. “I met the kid a year ago, when he and his little harem flew out just to get some money out of me. Tried to talk me into _buying_ things for the little bastar—“

Kono cut her off with a slap, making the woman reel back. “Watch your mouth,” Kono warned, leaning over her with death on her face. “Brandon’s _my_ nephew now.”

Danny kept his expression mocking, but he internally made a note to hug Kono at the earliest opportunity. For the moment, though, he snapped his fingers to regain Karen’s attention. “I’m still not sure how all of this relates to you being either an accessory to an attempted kidnapping or homicide.”

“I wasn’t—“ Karen cut herself off, shaking her head in frustration. “I was furious when the police report about the kid came in. I knew they were going to do a DNA test because he was part of an active case, and I just… I couldn’t….” The words trailed off, and she was silent a moment before lifting her chin to look Danny in the eye. “I told myself I was just cleaning up his mess again.” There was no apology or shame in her voice. “Just like I always did.”

“Except that this one could end up in prison time,” Danny shot back, shaking off memories of Matt. Karen just wanted her asshole brother out of her hair, not to actually help him, and she’d betrayed her nephew to do it. It wasn’t the same thing at all. “If you want to have any chance of avoiding having to find out firsthand whether orange really _is_ the new black, you need to give us more.”

Her expression stayed resistant a moment longer, then she sighed. “I don’t think he’s going to hurt him,” she said finally. “I know he… he killed those two….” She let the words trail off, then swallowed before collecting herself. “But he wanted the kid. He seemed really surprised that he’d survived being out all alone in the woods and that he’d gotten himself to safety. Said he hadn’t realized the kid was the ‘true son of a god’ or some crap like that.” She closed her eyes, defeated. “He was going to pick him up from the Kapules. I don’t know when.”

“I’ll call Duke,” Kono said, pulling out her phone. “We need to get officers watching the house, now.” She headed out the door, looking back over her shoulder at Danny. “Don’t kill her.”

Danny didn’t respond as Kono shut the door behind her, turning back to Karen. “You handed a little boy back to a man who you knew had just killed two women, one of whom was his _mother_.”  The words were as cutting as Danny knew how to make them. “You _ripped_ him away from people who wanted to protect him to hand him back to a _killer_. Just so what, people didn’t find out about your dirty little secret?”

Karen didn’t open her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand,” she said quietly.

“You’d be surprised.” He kept his hands fisted at his sides, keeping the threat only in his voice. “I don’t know if you’ll get jail time for this, but your career is pretty much over. And if you even look in Brandon’s direction again, I will _ruin_ you in any way I can manage it.”

Then he left, slamming the door behind him.

000

Fong was in HQ collecting Brandon’s DNA when Danny made it back upstairs. He miraculously managed to wait until the tech had left the room before picking up Brandon and wrapping his arms around him, closing his eyes and thanking every deity he could think of that things hadn’t ended up worse. Steve and Brandon just hugged him back without a word.  


	12. Chapter 12

There'd been no sign of trouble at the Kapules, and the uniforms stationed over there now would make sure there wasn't any. Summers had been careful not to leave any kind of paper trail on the island, filtering all his purchases through someone else, and it would take time for HPD to run down any traces of the various members of his harem. For good measure, they had an APB out for all of them as well.

Which meant there was only one thing left to do.

"I hate waiting," Steve muttered, scrubbing his hands across his face. Brandon, safe in Danny's arms, mimicked the gesture before looking at Danny with a perplexed expression. Steve, catching sight of it, felt himself melt a little.

"Believe me, kiddo, I'm right with you." Danny shook his head with a mock sigh as he looked down at the little boy. "I'm married to the man, and he still baffles me on a regular basis."  

"Okay." Steve sat down on the edge of his desk, lips curving upward as he watched the two of them together. "What should we do, then?"

Danny's eyebrows lifted as he pointed at Steve with a flourish, an acknowledgement of the setup Steve had so kindly provided for him. "And that, Steven, is an excellent question." He turned back to Brandon. "Tell him what we should do, Tracker."

"Grace!" Brandon said, looking absolutely delighted as he clapped his hands. "We see Grace!"

Danny nodded. "Exactly. We're going to see Grace, and there will probably be a whole moment with hugs and kisses and various degrees of crying. Then we're all going to go to the store, and we're going to get you clothes and an actual car seat and probably some toys because Steven over there has no sense of control."

Brandon's brow furrowed. "Toys?" he asked, looking adorably confused.

"Whatever you want to play with," Steve chimed in, grinning at the little boy. "Trucks, stuffed animals, whatever you want.  And don't worry about Danno." He cocked his head at his husband. "We can get around him because this is a special occasion."

"No, you can get around me because I'm a weak man, and you and Gracie team up." Danny sighed theatrically. "And now there's three of you. I've doomed myself, haven't I?"

Brandon, however, still looked confused. "Brandon gets toys?" he said after a moment. "Toys to keep? No shouting bad man?"

The humor on Steve and Danny's faces drained away as what Brandon was saying slowly sank in. Danny looked over at Steve, communicating with his face, eyes and eyebrows what would probably translate to about a 20-minute rant with hand gestures ("He probably hasn't ever even had _ice cream_ , has he? Hell, for all we know he's never even had the chance to play with other kids. How have we managed to find a child even more emotionally deprived than you were?") 

Then he turned back to Brandon, radiating fatherness so strongly he was practically vibrating with it. "You get toys," he said quietly. "And a bedroom, and a sister, and cousins, and coloring books and holidays and all kinds of stuff that will probably blow your smart little mind. Because you're ours now, forever and ever, and if Shouting Bad Man comes back your dad and I over there will shoot him full of holes."

They weren't quite there yet, their status as foster parents only barely won, and normally Danny would be the one to remind Steve of all that. The fact that the normally cautious Danny was just as sure as Steve was meant a lot.

Not as much, though, as the way Danny had so casually called Steve Brandon's dad. Steve's chest constricted, his eyes stinging. "Shouting bad man will never touch you again," Steve promised, moving close enough to wrap his arms around both of them. "Like Danno said, you're ours now."

Danny's voice was thick. "You're gonna be so loved you'll have no idea what to do with all of it."

Brandon looked back and forth between their faces, solemn enough that Steve had no idea how much of this he was actually processing. "Danno," he said finally, laying his hand against Danny's chest, then he laid his hand against Steve's. "Dad." Then he nodded again, and the seriousness was replaced with a bright, hopeful expression. "Toys now?"

Danny grinned. "Grace first."

Brandon threw his hands up in the air, delighted. "Grace!"

000

Steve leaned against the back door of the Camaro, watching Grace walk out the front door of her middle school. She looked miserable, slumped shoulders and red eyes like she'd ducked into the bathroom to cry at some point. When she caught sight of Steve she tried her hardest to put on a brave face, which was somehow even more heartbreaking.

When he walked over to meet her, she immediately hugged him even though it was in full view of her friends. "Please tell me you guys have more to do at work," she said quietly, arms tight around Steve. "I have homework I can do, and I don't want to go home if Brandon's not there."

Steve gave her a fierce squeeze, then pulled back enough that he could look down at her. "Actually, we do have something really important to do. We were hoping you could help us out with that."

She nodded solemnly. "Of course. Does it have something to do with helping find who killed Brandon's mom?"

"Not exactly." Steve fought to keep the smile on his face as he gestured back to the Camaro and the back door he'd kept hidden with his body. "I think Danno can fill you in on the rest of it."

Grace's brow furrowed. "Danno's here?" She looked over at the Camaro, seeing the shadowy figure of her dad in the backseat. "Why didn't he get out? And why is he in the back—"

Suddenly, the car door opened. "You're taking too long!" Danny called out. "I'm turning into a decrepit old man over here waiting for you!"

Brandon's voice piped in as well. "Grace!" he shouted, waving his arms excitedly. "Grace! Come hug! We get toys!"

Steve knew that the memory of Grace's face flooding with joy would be with him for the rest of his life. She gasped, turning and heading for the Camaro at a dead run before diving into the backseat and basically tackling Danny and Brandon. Steve walked over more slowly, enjoying the view, and after a few minutes they all tumbled out of the backseat again. Brandon's arms were hooked around Grace's neck, and she laughed in delight before sprinkling his face with kisses. "Tell me we get to keep him," she breathed, looking at Steve and Danny with hope shining in her eyes. "Please tell me he's ours now."

"We're going to have to jump through some hoops to make it permanent," Danny said. "But your Uncle Steve and I will make it happen."

"His mom was an orphan," Steve added. "We're the only family Brandon has."

Grace ran over and hugged them both, still clutching Brandon tightly, then burst into happy tears. Brandon, clearly more used to this by now, made soothing noises and kept petting her cheeks. Finally she wiped her cheeks and gave him another kiss. "I have two baby brothers now," she whispered, clearly thrilled.

Then, remembering something, she looked up at Steve. "Wait. What was it you needed my help with?"


	13. Chapter 13

Danny, deciding he would go back to being the financially responsible parent tomorrow, let them stop for ice cream on the way to the store. Brandon was cautious at first, poking his tongue into it carefully to test it, but once he'd actually gotten a decent taste he pretty much buried his face in it. Steve rescued it before he decimated the whole thing – the kid's stomach still wasn't that big, and they should probably make sure he actually had some real food for dinner – but Brandon was too happy to care. He just started licking it off his arm, like he didn't want to waste a drop.

It was even harder to say no when they finally got to the store. Not that Brandon was going nearly as crazy as Grace and Steve were – they’d carried pretty much half the store to him by this point, rubbing soft, fleecy pajamas against his cheek and making engine sounds as the drove the truck up Danny’s arms. Danny was mostly the one to remember to get the responsible things – a desperate midnight run for diapers during Grace’s baby years had left him scarred – though Steve did spend a good 45 minutes with the car seats checking safety ratings and reports on his phone.

No, the real kicker was the way Brandon looked somewhere between awed and utterly confused the whole time, recognizing things like cars and trucks but completely without reference for things that didn’t have a real-world counterpart. He absorbed every explanation they gave him with that wide-eyed, solemnly attentive look that made Danny’s chest hurt, and he was struck all over again at the sheer amount of normal life experiences that the little guy had missed out on. Watching him, Danny desperately needed to give him all of it.  

Not that Brandon necessarily _wanted_ all of it. Balls were a hit if they were small enough he could bounce or throw them with one hand – they got completely distracted by a game of catch until another customer complained (and Steve had to keep Danny from verbally tearing her a new one) – but he wasn't the slightest bit interested in stuffed animals too big for him to hold in one hand. He'd always shake his head at them, sometimes pushing them aside to give an affectionate pat to whoever had offered it up, but it wasn't until the third time it happened that they finally found out why.

"Not a big fan of stuffed animals, are you, Tracker?" Danny commented, setting the stuffed monkey back on the shelf (What? He was partial to monkeys). "We'll have to let your aunts and uncles know before the gifts start rolling in."

Brandon shook his head. "Animals too big. No room." He waved his free hand to show the space the monkey was taking up, then patted Danny's chest. "Want to hold Danno."

Danny's chest constricted just like it had the last time Brandon had called him that, the accompanying rush of warmth making the ache sweet. He pulled Brandon close, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. "We'll worry about the stuffed animals later, then," he murmured. "Though we're going to have to figure out how to make it so you're okay with running around on your own, or having other people hold you."

Brandon's brow lowered, and he shook his head. "No. Hold Danno. Or Dad. Or Grace."

Steve, who had been listening to all this, ducked out of view for a moment. He came back holding a beach ball with Elsa's face on it. "Hey, little guy," Steve said gently, holding the ball out before dropping it and giving it a gentle kick. "Want to play soccer?"

Brandon smiled, nodding excitedly as he patted Danny's chest again. "Danno, kick."

Danny shook his head, knowing where Steve was going with this. "I'm no good at kicking, Tracker. You've gotta do it."

Brandon's brow lowered again, and he gripped Danny's shirt more tightly as he looked down at the ground in consternation. Grace appeared around the corner of a new set of shelves as well, setting a plastic giraffe back on the shelf before moving closer. "Come kick with me, Brandon," she said cajolingly, gently kicking the ball sideways. "You and I can be on one team, and Danno and Uncle Steve can be on the other team. We'll totally win."

Danny wasn't even sure Brandon understood what "team" meant, but if the kid's expression was anything to go by the idea of doing anything with Grace was clearly tempting. He looked over at Steve, then at Danny, then back down at the ground, clearly torn.

Danny touched his cheek, gently getting Brandon's attention. "We're not going anywhere, Tracker," he promised him, looking the little boy directly in the eye. "We won't disappear as soon as you turn around. You can get down and play and do whatever you want, and all three of us will still be right here."

Brandon gave Danny a long, steady look, then looked back at Steve and Grace. When they both gave him a serious nod, he turned back and threw his arms around Danny's neck. He gave him a fierce, tight hug, then pulled back and gave his own nod. "Down."

Carefully, Danny set Brandon down on the ground, and the little boy held on to his pant leg for a few seconds. Then, eyes on Steve and Grace, he took a step forward. "Kick."

Steve kicked him the ball – gently, now was not the time for comedic property damage – and Brandon kicked the ball over to Grace with a determined look. Everyone clapped, and Brandon beamed like Christmas had just happened. Then, looking up as if checking to make sure Danny was still there, Brandon dashed over and grabbed the fallen monkey. Tucking it under one arm, he hurried back over to stand close to Danny.

After they'd kicked it around a few times, Danny watching them all with a grin on his face (and an eye for other parents), Brandon looked back up at him. "Play with us." He tugged on Danny's pant leg.  "You kick."

"I told you, Tracker," Danny said, reaching down to ruffle the little boy's hair. "I'm no good at kicking."

Brandon gave him an encouraging look. "Just try." He swung his leg out. "Kick like this."

"Yeah, Danny," Steve chimed in, voice soft with affection. "Just try."

"You have to play when one of your kids wants to play," Grace said. "That's a rule."

Danny sighed dramatically, but he didn't try to stop the smile from sneaking onto his face.  "Well, I guess at least one of us needs to follow the rules."

When he kicked the ball (less well-aimed than either of the other two had managed, though wisely no one commented on it), Brandon clapped as hard as he could. "Good Danno!" he said happily, breaking Danny's heart and putting it back together in the same moment. "Good kick!"

Steve and Grace joined in the applause as Danny swept Brandon up in another hug. Dropping the monkey again, Brandon hugged him back just as hard. One of the store employees happened by, opening his mouth to say something, then shut it again at the sight of Danny's glare. Glancing at the shopping cart full of items, he wisely moved on.

Happily, Danny went back to hugging Brandon. 


	14. Chapter 14

They got pizza on the way home, and though Danny professed his horror that Brandon's first taste of pizza wouldn't be proper New York style he agreed that having him taste it was more important than waiting. He did draw the line, though, at letting pineapple be anywhere near it.

"Don't you dare, Steven," he insisted, his free hand gesturing wildly enough that he didn't notice Brandon busily mimicking his every movement. Grace, bless her, was filming the whole thing on her phone. "You'll ruin his tastebuds before he's had the chance to experience proper pizza. For all I know, you'll turn him off of pizza entirely, and deprive him of what could be a lifetime of joy. I refuse to allow this to happen, and I know he'll thank me once he's old enough to have any idea what we're talking about."

Then they got back to the house and just... never really let go of each other. Technically, they weren't always in physical contact – Danny had been right that they needed to ease Brandon back into being okay at least a little ways away from them – but none of them had any interest in being where the others weren't. They spent most of the time piled on the couch together, watching a movie marathon on the Disney channel and doing their best to teach Brandon all of the songs.

When the kids fell asleep, Steve carried them both upstairs and tucked them into Grace's bed together. He let himself watch them sleep for a moment, chest full, then realized that they'd need to set Brandon up a room at some point. Grace had Steve's old one, but Mary's – currently the guest bedroom – would be perfect for Brandon once they redecorated. Maybe the excitement of getting it ready would help him feel better about moving into his own space....

"The real reason I got a phone that said it was good at taking pictures at night," Danny whispered, suddenly next to him. He snapped a picture of the sleeping kids, a soft look on his face, then hooked his hand around Steve's bicep and gently pulled him toward the door. "We have to talk."

Okay, that wasn't good, but Steve reminded himself he'd see it on Danny's face if it was really that bad. They slipped out of the room, leaving the door open a crack so they'd hear it if one of them cried out, then went back downstairs. "Duke called," Danny said, once they were safely out of earshot. "There's been no sign of anyone near the Kapules, let alone Summers. I can't see Summers being patient enough to want to wait until tomorrow, which means that he either caught sight of the officers and got scared off..."

"...or he found out some other way." Steve sighed. It always made it so much easier when the bad guys were stupid. "We knew this might happen."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I wasn't hoping." Danny dropped back down onto the couch, thinking. "Either way, that means he knows the police have his kid, and if this asshole's really connected Brandon to his whole 'god' craziness I doubt he's going to be willing to give up that easily. Which means we have two options."

Steve was pretty sure one of the options wasn't "killing him," though that was the first place his mind jumped. He'd be willing to bet Danny's mind had gone there, too. "A full-on manhunt is tempting, but the island's too big for us to be certain we can flush him out. If it's just him and a couple of women, satellite probably wouldn't even be enough to locate him."

"Which means we have to go with option #2, which is bringing the bastard to us." Danny leaned forward and scrubbed his hands over his face, clearly reluctant. "I'd rather not get the house shot up again, which means we should probably set up a fake safe house we're supposedly keeping Brandon in and get word out about a transfer. I'm still not sure whether Karen was the one who tipped him off or if he'll be extra suspicious of her now, which means we'll probably have to come up with another way to let the news slip."

Steve nodded, sitting down next to Danny. "Probably safest to assume HPD is being watched, so being a little too obvious about it should be enough."

Danny tensed. "How do we know he's not watching _us_? Should we be expecting assholes with guns to show up in the middle of the night?"

Steve shook his head. "I'd know if someone was watching the house, and we didn't pick up a tail on the way home. And even if he tried it, he doesn't have the fire power to make a dent in the security I've put on the house since you and Grace moved in."

Danny's expression eased, lips curved upward just a little. "One of the many advantages of marrying a terrifying Ninja SEAL."

Steve let himself smile a little as well. "It's good to hear you finally appreciating my many talents." He laid a hand on Danny's back, the contact comforting him as much as it was meant to comfort Danny. "Brandon and Grace will both be safe in HQ, with Chin or Kono and half of HPD watching their backs. We'll make sure Summers can never get near Brandon again."

Danny straightened, taking a deep breath. "I was already planning on letting Grace stay home from school tomorrow anyway," he said, voice deliberately light. "This just means that my reasoning will have at least 20 percent more gunfire."

"We'll pretend we're still taking her to school, though, and use that as cover to get both her and Brandon to HPD. Then we'll set up the fake move, and try to pretend we won't both be armed to the teeth."

"I know that'll be tough for you." Danny pressed a kiss against his cheek, then leaned his head against Steve's for a moment. "Remind me that we always manage to pull off a miracle," he said quietly.

"We always manage to pull off a miracle," Steve reassured him, wrapping an arm around him. "And we have a long history kicking the ass of anyone who dares mess with our ohana. Summers won't know what hit him."

"Oh, I want him to know _exactly_ what hit him." There was something dark in Danny's voice, but it had never scared Steve. Danny always got like that when someone he loved was in danger. " _We're_ Brandon's dads now, and I never want him to forget it."


	15. Chapter 15

There was still no sign of Summers by the next morning, which meant that Operation Flush Out The Bastard was definitely going to have to happen. They explained the situation over breakfast, Grace nodding solemnly as Brandon carefully wiped the jam off his face before licking it off his fingers.

"So you're going to pretend to drive me to school?" Grace asked, far more interested in the plan than she was her own toast. "But I'll really go to work with you guys and help take care of Brandon while you catch his dad?"

Danny looked over at Steve, letting him take the lead on this bit. Calm, logical thinking may have never been his husband's strong suite, but tactics definitely were. Steve gave him a nod, then turned back to the kids. "Actually, we're thinking that the more obvious we are the better. We'll take you both to HPD, make it seem like we think Summers as a significant threat, then fake a second transfer with us and a dummy Brandon to a safe house."

Grace's brow lowered. "And Brandon's dad will try to take the fake version of him?" Brandon, seeing the worry on her face, was distracted from the jam long enough to pat her arm with a concerned look. She pulled him into her lap, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. "And you'll arrest him?"

_Or shoot him_ , Danny thought, but now wasn't the time to say that thought out loud. "If Summers tries for fake Brandon, he'll either do it while we're in transit or tonight at the safe house. If it takes that long, Chin will bring Noah and Ailani over to hang out with Brandon, and we can probably talk Nahele into bringing over that PS2 Kamekona 'acquired' for him."

Grace raised an eyebrow at him, and there was something in her expression that suggested she knew he was trying to distract her. But her lips curved, and he knew she was going to let him. "You just want us to babysit."

Danny leaned forward, pressing a kiss against both her and Brandon's heads. "You've discovered our evil plan."

"Danno's evil plan." Steve ruffled a hand over Grace's hair, tickling his fingers under Brandon's chin. "I would never even think about pulling that kind of underhanded trick."

Grace caught his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I know you couldn't," she told him, giving him the full effect of her puppy dog eyes before doing the same thing to Danny. "Just be safe, okay?"

Steve nodded solemnly at her. "Always, sweetheart."

000

Danny filled Chin the team in via carphone, so by the time they got in Chin, Kono and Lou were already waiting around the computer table. Also part of the circle was Jerry, who was supposed to have been at a UFO convention in Nevada for two more days.

Jerry, seeing the question on their faces, answered it before they could even ask. "Kono filled me in, and helping you guys out seemed a lot more interesting than arguing about the Tunguska event for the hundredth time." He looked over at Chin. "Though I'm still disappointed I don't get to see the Kelly Gang until tomorrow."

"We didn't think you'd be back till Sunday, so the twins are with Malia's parents today." Chin patted his shoulder. "Don't worry – they missed you, too."

Jerry, it turned out, was the perfect official 5-0 babysitter, and it helped distract him from ever actually asking for a gun. Danny let himself sigh resignedly at the fact that this meant Jerry would also end up babysitting Brandon, already planning to institute a daily round of conspiracy de-programming after they got home.

For now, though, Jerry earned himself points by approaching Brandon with his hands up. "Hey, little guy," he said carefully, moving slowly but steadily. "I'm your Uncle Jerry."

Brandon's brow wrinkled, like he didn't quite know what to make of Jerry – yet more proof of just how sensible and intelligent their kid was – then shifted around in Steve's arms to look over at Danny. "Safe?" he asked, pointing at Jerry.

Pushing aside the brief, tempting impulse to say something inappropriate, Danny nodded. "Safe."

Brandon looked up at Steve for the same confirmation, then the toddler held a hand out towards Jerry for a high five. "You safe."

Jerry, surprisingly, was sensible enough to be touched. "I'm very safe," he said, giving Brandon the high five before turning back to the computer table. "So safe that I've got a couple different routes to a couple of different safe houses already set up. All we have to do is figure out which one is most likely to get Summers' attention."

"And this is the cue where we pause to excuse our youngest audience members," Danny cut in, noticing the intensity with which Grace was trying to study the screen. "Monkey, how about you take Tracker into my office and show him the wonders that are funny cat videos. Poor kid hasn't seen any of them."

Steve pressed a kiss against the top of Brandon's head before handing him over to Grace. "Definitely make sure you show him Grumpy Cat. It'll remind him of Danno."

Once they heard the office door safely shut behind them, everyone turned back to the computer. "This is our first choice." Chin swept the map onto the upper screen. "It's got the most forest access, which he clearly knows well. It'll be harder for us to secure, but it'll also let us lead him away from civilians."

"A professional hitter wouldn't like it because there's no sniper access, but from everything we've seen that's not in his skill set." Kono gestured to the map. "If he finds enough friends, this would be the best place to hit on the route there. Best bet is they'll try to pin you in with vehicles, but depending on how reckless and stupid he is he might try to ram you."

Steve let out a breath. "Violence has always been enough to get him everything he wanted. I don't see why he would expect it to be any different now."

"So we'll make sure you're in something that can handle a roll," Lou cut in. "And we'll be right behind you the whole time, ready to swoop in the minute he shows his ugly mug."

"And I'll be here with the kids," Jerry added.

"Not that I don't appreciate that," Danny cut in, "but I'd also like to have someone here who can shoot."

"Duke said he'd bring a team up the whole time we're gone," Chin said. "If it ends up being overnight, he'll rotate them through in shifts."

"And we can give Kamekona a call," Kono added. "They'll even have the ready-made excuse that they're bringing lunch."

Steve nodded. "Do it. Summers doesn't seem organized enough to make an attempt on HQ, but now isn't the time to be wrong."

"Not to mention the fact I kind of promised that Nahele could keep Grace company," Danny added, oddly touched despite the nerves he was feeling. He had one hell of a strange family, these days, but they were damn loyal. "Okay, then, let's start setting all this up."


	16. Chapter 16

Steve was still making small adjustments to the plan up to the moment they stepped out the front doors, Danny carrying a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms and Steve letting himself slide fully into “armed escort” mode. He moved Brandon’s carseat into one of the department’s SUVs, staying at ready while Danny bent over the car seat to buckle in the child CPR training dummy HPD had found them. They’d dressed it in some of Brandon’s new clothes they’d brought from home and Danny had taken care of the rest, holding the dummy as if it was a real child.

Then they set off for the safe house, seemingly alone.

“You’d think even criminals wouldn’t stoop so low as to work for an asshole like Summers,” Danny said, scanning the area for any sign of trouble. “I mean, their definition of a lowlife is undoubtedly different than mine, but even your average felon gets twitchy when it comes to hurting kids. If he’s living out in the woods like some cult leader, I can’t imagine he’s got the cash on him to make a job like this worthwhile.”

Steve had known Danny long enough to recognize when his husband was distracting himself from his own nerves. Keeping his own lookout, he let himself play along. “Not if they see it as a custody issue. Besides, living rough doesn’t mean you don’t have money stashed somewhere. Not a lot of expenses in the forest.”

“If you have sense, there are _extra_ expenses in the forest.  It takes a lot to console a man who no longer has access to cable or indoor plumbing.” Danny’s gaze slid to the backseat, as if he was checking on fake Brandon. “When you _actually_ have a child in the backseat and two people in the front seat, you generally put their car seat behind the driver so the front seat passenger can have easier access to them. A fact I _know_ you know, because you’ve always put Brandon’s car seat behind you before this.” He looked over at Steve, eyes narrowed. “The fact that it’s behind _my_ seat this time suggests self-sacrificial assholery on your part.”

Danny’s assessment was entirely correct – if Summers really wanted Brandon back that badly, odds were he wouldn’t risk physically hurting him in the process. Which meant that if he _did_ have someone crash into them, they’d do it into the opposite side of the SUV from the one fake Brandon was on. Which also meant it would be the opposite side from the one _Danny_ was on. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Steve said mildly, still scanning the surrounding area. “I didn’t really think about it when I was putting it in, because I knew Brandon wasn’t actually there. It’s complete chance it ended up on your side.”

"Sure it was." Danny's voice was dry, his "you've got to be kidding me" expression more resigned than usual. "You get any major injuries from this, McGarrett, and I'm fully allowed to kick your ass the moment you're healed again."

The corner of Steve's mouth quirked upward. "Done."

Danny sighed. "You agreed to that too easily. I should have argued for—" He cut himself off. "Patch of mostly undergrowth coming up. No tree trunks in the way."

Which meant it would be easier for vehicles to get through. Danny stayed silent as Steve rolled the window down a crack, keeping an ear out for mechanical sounds that didn't belong to the vehicle they were driving. Danny moved one hand to the gun resting on his hip, the other prepared to roll down his own window at a moment's notice.

When he heard the low rumble of another engine, faint but distinct, Steve gave Danny a nod. Then he counted to three and gunned the engine, speeding through the space the other driver had expected to intercept him. As that happened, Danny turned around and shot at the other driver's tires, puncturing at least two by the sound of it and sending the truck straight into the trees.

Then came the other gunshots, proving that Danny's estimation about the number of criminals willing to work with Summers had been wrong. Steve spun the SUV around as Danny returned fire, leaning out his own door so he could do the same without losing cover. Unfortunately, Summers' men had too much cover of their own, an advantage he couldn't overcome with the artillery he had. A part of him wanted to go hunting, take them out more up close and personal than they were prepared for, but he didn't want to leave Danny....

"Go!" Danny shouted, as if he'd just read Steve's mind. "Do your ninja SEAL thing. Lou's coming!"

Steve heard the sound of more engines behind him, saw Lou jump out of a vehicle with some of his old buddies from SWAT. Relieved that Danny wouldn't be left without backup, Steve jumped out and headed for the woods.

He'd worked mostly in the city for the last several years, but the old skills hadn't left him. Guns weren't nearly as useful as people liked to think they were when fighting someone up close, and the city criminals knew nothing about moving silently in the middle of the forest. The initial surprise was enough to grab their guns, and after that the takedown was easy.

Some of the criminals, realizing the woods had just gotten dangerous, moved out into the road and started pressing towards the SUV. That, of course, put them in the perfect position to be picked off by Danny, Lou and their backup.

Summers was the only thing missing. It wasn't a surprise – he hadn't seemed like the type to put himself in danger when he had other people to do it for him – but it would be too dangerous for Brandon to let him go to ground again. As he knocked out another hired hand, Steve had to remind himself that they'd anticipated this. He just had to trust in the plan....

Suddenly, he heard the sound of another engine, the familiar rumble of Chin's motorcycle. "Hey, assholes!" Kono shouted. "We've got the guy who was going to pay you, so there's no more reason to stick around."

The sound of people scrambling away was obvious even from where Steve was standing. By the time he stepped back onto the road, SWAT was collecting the criminals who weren't mobile enough to flee and the rest of the team had converged around Chin's motorcycle. Sprawled across the back, trussed up like a turkey, was Summers.

"Not quite where you said he'd be," Chin said by way of greeting, his smile dangerous. "But close."

Steve had guessed that the asshole would be safely out of the way, close enough that he'd be able to listen to what was happening, and the criminals wouldn't be left alone with Brandon too long, but far enough away that he himself wouldn't be at risk.

Until, of course, Chin and Kono had found him.

Summers was struggling against the bonds, trying to say something behind the impromptu gag. Danny grabbed him by the back of the hair and glared at him, not saying a word, and whatever Summers saw in Danny's face made the criminal's eyes go wide. He immediately stopped squirming, and didn't move again even after Danny let go of him.

Steve's own smile was savage. "Let's get Summers loaded in with the rest of these bastards and head back to HQ. Danny and I want to have a little chat with him."


	17. Chapter 17

Unfortunately, Summers’ good sense had faded by the time they got him into the interrogation room. He glared up at Steve and Danny, seemingly unaware of how much effort it was taking both of them not to do something incredibly violent. “You’ve got nothing on me,” he sneered, the wispy facial hair no more impressive than it had been in the security video.

Danny didn’t say anything for a moment, sternly reminding himself that shooting the guy would be bad in the long run. Prison would mean he couldn’t be there for his husband and kids, which was kind of the point of… well, everything.

It was enough to get control of his temper, like a hand on the collar of a snarling dog. “Your sister said the same thing,” Danny sneered right back.  “Like sister, like brother.” Steve stayed silent next to him, every line of his face and body promising death if Summers even moved a finger in the wrong direction.

Summers acted like he didn’t notice, though Danny noted that the man was careful to never meet Steve’s eyes. Eyes on Danny, Summers grimaced in disgust, the expression making him look almost rat-like. “I’m nothing like that bitch. She and I just happened to share the same sperm donor.”

“Well, as shocking as it is, it seems she got the brains in the family. Because you somehow think you can pretend to be innocent when we caught you in the _middle of an attempted kidnapping_ , which you tried to pull off with the help of very large guns. Along with a conspiracy charge and a little coordination with all the other police departments who want a piece of your ass, we can comfortably keep you locked away for years even without charging you with the murders.” Danny’s voice was pure acid. “Of course, we’ll still make sure you’re locked away for the murders, too. The women you killed deserve that, and so does Brandon.”

“I’ll decide what the child deserves,” Summers shot back. “He’s _my_ —.”

Danny stepped back as Steve surged forward, punching Summers in the jaw and cutting off the rest of the sentence. “You’re not allowed to say that sentence,” Danny said, voice all icy calm now. “Because it’s not true. He’s unfortunate enough to have you as a sperm donor, but that’s it. You killed his mother and left him to die in the woods – all you’ll ever be to him is a bad story.”

Summers shot Steve a single venomous look, then turned his attention back to Danny.  “If I’d known, I—“

“That he was out there?” Danny finished, disgusted with the attempt at a lie. “You were so busy killing people that you _lost count_?”

“You didn’t try to look for him,” Steve added, voice hard. Danny knew him well enough by now to know that he was probably flashing back to the crime scene. “We would have seen it.”

Danny expected Summers to try some kind of counter, or shift to another lie, but he just gave another disgusted grimace. “I didn’t care, then.” Summers shook his head to emphasize the point, and Danny realized that he’d guessed wrong about where this was going. “I thought he was just my corporeal spawn, tainted with the same human stink I was carrying around before I discovered my true nature.”

An insanity defense. Hell. “Bullshit.”

“Can’t you see it? I am _divine_.” Summers smiled, and for the first time Danny felt a touch of chill between his shoulder blades. “Nora and Lisa were weak, unworthy consorts for someone of my nature. I thought that Brandon was weak as well, and that I would create, new more worthy sons with suitable handmaidens. But when Karen told me he was still _alive_ ….” His voice trailed off, something close to awe in it. It was almost worse than the smile had been. “Surely no mere mortal child could have made such a journey. My seed carried my spark of divinity, even before I knew of its existence. Brandon is my true heir. You will _give him to_ —“

Steve swooped in with another punch, thankfully cutting off the rant. Then he stepped back, flexing his fingers. “So you admit to killing Lisa Ramirez and Nora Quigley,” he said.

Summers spat blood on the floor. “What do you care? They were nothing.”

Danny swore to do everything he could to make sure the insanity defense didn’t work. Sociopathy didn’t count, damn it. “The ballistics match on the cute little pearl-handled gun you had on you will undoubtedly answer the question better than you could. My guess is your fingerprints are the only ones that were on it – you don’t look like the type to share.”

“I don’t,” Summer sneered, a wild light in his eyes. “I killed them so that no one else would have them. They weren’t good enough for me, but I’d touched them both. No one else gets to do that after me.”

So he really was crazy, but not in the way his attorney would appreciate. Relief made Danny push a little harder. “Hopefully all the people who end up ‘touching’ you in prison won’t see things the same way, or you won’t last long.”

Summers jerked forward, yanking on the handcuffs. “I’m not going to prison. So _give me my_ —“

The leash Danny had on his temper snapped. This time, he was the one to punch Summers. “Brandon is _ours_ , you sick son of a bitch,” he hissed. “You’re not a god, and you sure as _shit_ aren’t his father. You’re _nothing_.”

Summers lifted his head, sheer shock on his face for a second before fury surged in to replace it. “I’ll kill you both! I’ll get out and I’ll hunt you down and—“

Danny grabbed Summers’ throat, making the rest of the sentence choke off. He didn’t have the grip strength to choke a man to death with his bare hands – not something Steve could say – so it seemed like a safer option than potentially beating him to death. “Try it,” he said softly, eyes locked with Summers.’ The man’s face went pale at whatever he saw in Danny’s gaze. “I will take you _apart_.”

He felt Steve come up behind him, looming. Summers started to sweat, even more than he had been. “And I’ll make sure no one ever finds the pieces.”

Only when Summers nodded did Danny pull his hand away, turning around and leaving the interrogation room without a word. Steve stayed at his back, shutting the door behind them both and catching Danny’s wrist before he did something stupid like punch a wall.

Danny didn’t move, concentrating on the feel of Steve’s hand wrapped around his wrist with a gentleness that no longer surprised him. He used it to force his breathing to slow, to push back the churning emotions in his gut. “There may still be women out there,” he managed finally, the words rough. No matter how brainwashed they were, they needed to get those women out of whatever cult stronghold Summers had stashed them in.

Steve nodded, pulling Danny’s wrist close enough that Danny could lay his hand against Steve’s heart. The familiar beat under his palm was enough to steady him the rest of the way. “We’ll get search teams,” Steve said, already working out the plan. “Start with the area of the ambush and see if we can trace their route back to wherever the hideout is.”

Danny nodded. “You can go with them, if you want.” Normally, he’d be right behind him – being next to Steve was still his first choice no matter what shit was going down – but until Summers was safely locked up he didn’t think he could stand being more than a few feet away from Brandon and Grace. “I’ll stay here and wrap up this half of the case.”

Steve shook his head, moving forward to wrap his arms around Danny and hold on tight. “Until we take care of Summers, I’m not letting the three of you out of my sight.”


	18. Chapter 18

When there was a problem, the old Steve would immediately leap in and try to solve it. It was how he’d worked for years, his tendency to immediately gave chase obvious enough that it had at least partially inspired the canine half of his “Smooth Dog” moniker. It had been an advantage when he’d worked with the SEALs, giving him a reputation as someone who always got the job done. It was a dangerous way to live, yes, but at the time his own life had been relatively low on his list of priorities.

Now, though, there were things that were a hell of a lot more important. Three of them, to be precise, and so Steve made the calls that would send search teams looking for the other women rather than going after them himself. Danny, Grace and Brandon were at HQ – right now, he had no desire to be anywhere else.

When he got off the phone, he looked up to see Grace hovering at his office door. “Jerry says he thinks he’s found an ID for one of the women,” she said, that same determined, faintly anxious expression on her face that she’d worn throughout most of the day. She wanted to help really, really badly, and Steve was torn between being so proud of her he could cry and wanting to bundle her up and keep her the hell away from danger. “Do you need to call the person back and let them know?”

“Not yet, sweetheart, though it’ll be a big help when they find the site.” He moved close enough to put an arm around her, rubbing a soothing hand over her back. “We’ll make sure Summers doesn’t hurt anybody else.”

Grace slid her arms around his middle, squeezing tight. “I should wish that he’d never hurt anybody at all,” she murmured against his shirt, too many emotions making her voice shaky. “But if he didn’t, we never would have met Brandon.”

Steve closed his eyes a moment, chest aching for her. He understood exactly what she was feeling, but she shouldn’t have to deal with something like that at her age. “We can’t change the past, sweetheart,” he said gently, bending down to kiss the top of her head. “Don’t feel guilty that we got something good out of it.”

They headed back into the main area, where Chin, Jerry, Lou and Danny were all looking at the records of the woman they’d identified. Brandon was in Danny’s arms, small hand fisted in the back of Danny’s shirt, and when he saw Steve and Grace there was a bit of a scramble as he shifted around to wave at them without letting go of Danny. “Grace! Dad!” He stretched his arm out, reaching for him hard enough that he was half climbing over Danny’s shoulder. Steve’s heart flopped over. “Dad! Hug!”

 Danny turned his head with a smile. “You’d better get over here, McGarrett. He’s clearly as ready to jump for you as he did for me.”

Steve obeyed, and Brandon pressed a kiss against the side of Danny’s head before finishing the climb over his shoulder to get to Steve. When he was safe in Steve’s arms, Brandon flung his arms around Steve’s neck and squeezed tight. “Dad,” he murmured happily, making Steve melt all over again. He moved to stand next to Danny, and Brandon reached out with his free hand to give Danny another pat on the arm.

Everyone was silent for a moment, watching all of this with an affectionate smile, before Jerry cleared his throat and returned to the explanation. “Kim was reported as a runaway, which is why her name didn’t ping in any missing person’s reports. I’ve already contacted the Phoenix Police Department, and widened the search perimeters to catch any more women who might have fallen through the cracks.”

“We also need to check the islands for girls who might not be on the video,” Steve added grimly. Brandon, looking worried at the change in tone, squeezed his neck in another quick hug. “He might have been doing some recruiting.”

“We’ve got calls out,” Danny said. “No girls who’ve been reported missing match up, but Summers’ description matches the one given in a tip about a suspicious man hanging around one of the high schools a few days ago.”

Lou glared at the screen. “We are definitely going to have to kick his ass.” Then he seemed to catch himself, glancing over at Brandon. “Sorry.”

Steve smiled a little. “Don’t worry about it. He’s going to grow up with Danny as a father – he’ll get used to swearing.”

Danny looked mock offended. “Hey, my language would be as clean as a priest’s if you didn’t insist on being so ridiculous all the time.”

Grace, moving to stand next to Danny, grinned. “I said my first swear word when I was five. I didn’t hear it from mom.”

“Traitor,” Danny muttered, a soft smile on his face.

Before he could say anything else, Kono hurried in with printouts in her hand. “I had them rush the ballistics report,” she announced, a triumphant expression on her face as she held the papers up. “It’s a match, just like the fingerprints.”

“Good.” Danny nodded, something dark flashing across his face for just a moment. “The more evidence we have, the harder it’ll be for him to wiggle his way out of it.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Chin said, radiating calm certainty as he laid a hand on Danny’s arm. He looked down at Grace, smiling a little. “Nobody messes with 5-0 kids, right?”

Grace smiled back at him. “Right.”

000

Eventually, there was nothing left to do but go home and wait for updates. Danny and Chin made vague plans for a play date with Brandon, Noah and Ailiani sometime in the next couple of weeks, after Brandon had settled in a little more, then the four of them stopped by Kamekona’s shrimp truck for dinner.

“I am _wounded_ , brah.” Kamekona held a hand over his heart, the portrait of offended innocence. “We get a new member of the ohana, and I’m just finding out about this now? I thought you cared, McGarrett.”

“It’s only been a couple of days,” Steve said, holding his arms out in a placating gesture. “And we’re bringing him by now, aren’t we?”

“Kona,” Brandon announced, holding up his hand for a high five like Lou had taught him. He still didn’t seem interested in having anyone but the three of them hold him yet, but he seemed content sitting next to Grace instead of in one of their laps. “Big Kona.”

Kamekona couldn’t help but grin, bending over to give Brandon a careful high five. “We gonna make you Big Brandon, little buddy. My delicious shrimp’ll put some meat on those bones of yours in no time.”

“Hopefully, not quite as much meat as you’ve got,” Danny cut in, bringing over the containers. “I’d like to be able to carry him for at least a few more years.”

Kamekona just gave him an amused look. “Hey, not my fault you’re so tiny.”

Danny glared at him, but when he sat down Steve smiled and squeezed his leg. “Hey, I think you’re just the right size.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at him, amused. “I feel like there’s a second half to that joke.”

Steve shook his head, too happy for sarcasm. “Nope.”

Grace, helping Brandon stand up so he could better reach the food, picked up one of the shrimps and handed it to him. “Try this. It’s good.”

Brandon agreed, chowing down all of his shrimp and half of Steve’s. Steve, surrounded by his family, didn’t mind in the slightest.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe I'm finally finished with this fic (if it wasn't for your continuing support, I promise you it never would have happened). I still a little in shock at how much you guys have embraced Brandon, and I can promise you he'll show up in future fics in this series. This one, however, is done. *hugs to all of you.*

They spent the rest of the evening watching movies again, still preferring to be as close as possible. Their usual couch-pile didn’t even have to change much – Grace sprawled across Danno and Uncle Steve’s laps on her back rather than her side, Brandon sprawled across her stomach, with both Danno and Steve each having a hand on Brandon. They’d probably have to change the arrangement in a few years – Grace knew she was probably too big to be doing this as it was – but right now she wasn’t about to complain. Brandon was thrilled with the arrangement, since it let him touch all three of them at once without having to strain for it.

She was pretty sure Danno and Uncle Steve fell asleep before she and Brandon did – they’d both had a tough day, and needed their rest – so once Brandon was asleep Grace let herself happily drift off. When she woke up again, she heard the sound of Uncle Steve talking quietly on the phone. “Thanks. Keep us updated.” He hung up, entire body relaxing, and Grace kept her eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep so she could listen.

“So he did have a new girl with him,” Danno said, keeping his own voice low even though he sounded like he wanted to swear.

“She’s in the best shape of the three. Duke said she realized she’d made a mistake the moment they took her to the ‘compound.’” Three, Grace felt with relief. That meant they’d found all of the women. “She said her mom probably wouldn’t have bothered to report her missing.”

Now Danno did swear, tightening his hold on both Brandon and Grace. “Damn it, Steve, people should be forced to pass tests before they become parents.”

“I know,” Uncle Steve said softly, smoothing a hand over Grace’s hair. “They have to get fingerprints on the third girl, because she’s refusing to give anyone her name.”

“Hey, at least she’s still alive to make that choice.” Danno sighed. “And we should probably get these two to bed, because there’s a certain Monkey who’s nowhere near as asleep as she’s pretending to be.”

Grace opened her eyes to see Danno giving her a knowing look, and Uncle Steve giving her an amused one. “Hey, I have to practice being sneaky, don’t I?”

“I would definitely have to say no to that,” Danno said with a laugh as they all helped each other to their feet. “You’re already too much our kid as it is.”

000

They tucked Brandon into Grace’s bed while she hurriedly got ready, then she crawled in next to him. Brandon opened his eyes when Danno leaned over the bed. “Hug,” he insisted, reaching up for Danno.

Danno gave him the best half-hug he could manage with the angle, then pressed a kiss against his forehead. “Night, Tracker,” he murmured, then pressed a kiss against Grace’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Monkey, I’m not officially tucking you in. I know you’re way too old for that.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled up at him, then sighed. “I have to go to school tomorrow, don’t I?”

“I’m afraid so, kiddo.” Danno’s expression was soft. “But he’ll be here when you get back, promise.”

“Home,” Brandon agreed, already sounding like he was drifting back to sleep. “Danno, Grace, Dad, Brandon. Home.”

“Yeah.” Danno sounded choked up, and he leaned over to press another kiss against both their heads. “You’re home.”

He slipped out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind him, but Grace didn’t close her eyes just yet. She stroked a careful, soothing hand over her little brother’s hair, already thinking about how they would explain the fact that Grace was leaving at the end of the week. A part of her wanted to ask for another extension, even though her mother’s and Stan’s two-week vacation would be over, but she’d seen a sort of brittle, exaggerated cheerfulness between the two of them that she remembered from before Mom and Danno’s divorce. If that happened with Mom and Stan, Charlie would need her.

But she would call Brandon all week. She’d already convinced Danno and Steve to both get video chat, and even if Brandon got upset it would probably help that he could see her face. And hopefully they would wait to turn the guest bedroom into Brandon’s until she could come back and help.

As if he could sense her thinking, Brandon opened his eyes again. “Grace.” He reached out and gently patted her cheek. “Sleep now.”

Smiling, Grace closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my original short fiction and weekly posts on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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